COURSE CURRICULUM

The MSW/MS dual degree in Social Work and Recreation Management & Policy at the University of New Hampshire is an 80-credit interdisciplinary graduate program that blends advanced clinical social work training with recreation, outdoor education, and adventure-based therapeutic practice. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in fields such as adventure therapy, youth development, community mental health, and recreational and therapeutic program leadership by integrating theory, research, policy, and extensive field experience. On the social work side, students complete foundational and advanced coursework including social welfare policy (SW 820, SW 926), practice methods at individual, group, community, and administrative levels (SW 830, SW 831, SW 930, SW 931), human behavior and social environment sequences (SW 850, SW 851, SW 952), and courses focused on diversity, equity, and oppression (SW 840). They also take data analysis and statistics (SW 962) to support evidence-based practice and engage in multiple structured internships (SW 880, SW 881, SW 982, SW 983) that progressively build real-world clinical and organizational experience, along with either advanced special topics in social work (SW 897) or a master’s thesis option. On the recreation management and policy side, students study core concepts of leisure and recreation systems (RMP 800), organizational behavior and administration (RMP 806), nonprofit leadership (RMP 912), research methods (RMP 992), adaptive sport facilitation (RMP 820), and human interaction with natural environments (RMP 876), with additional electives allowing specialization in areas such as therapeutic recreation, policy, grant writing, or field practicum. A key feature of the program is SW 865 (Adventure Therapy), which directly connects clinical social work practice with experiential outdoor interventions. Overall, the program combines academic rigor with applied learning to develop professionals who can design, implement, and evaluate therapeutic recreation and social work interventions in both clinical and community-based settings, particularly for youth and vulnerable populations.