Accreditation for HA and Rec & Parks

This page contains accreditation information for the Recreation & Park Administration Program.

Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions

Arkansas Tech University’s Recreation and Park Administration core curriculum for all four emphasis areas is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Related Professions (COAPRT). The RPA Program at ATU was first accredited in 1997, and is the only program in the state of Arkansas with COAPRT accreditation status.

COAPRT accredits baccalaureate programs in parks, recreation, tourism, sport management, event management, therapeutic recreation, and leisure studies offered at regionally accredited institutions within the United States and its territories, and at nationally accredited institutions in Canada and Mexico.  

Accreditation is a status granted to an institution, program, or other entity that meets stated criteria of quality. Accreditation has two fundamental purposes: to assure quality and to assure improvement and is voluntary. Applications for accreditation may be submitted by any institution offering a four-year curriculum in recreation, park resources and leisure services education. Various factors enter into a program's decision to seek this status. Accredited programs have undergone a rigorous process of self-assessment and peer review and have met standards established by the profession itself.

The Council on Accreditation is itself accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

COAPRT standard 2.05.05 requires reporting of aggregated results of learning outcomes assessment. Results for the most recent academic year (2019/2020) follow:

  • Standard 7.01 During the 2019-2020 academic year, 85% of the students scored a 70% or above on the final written exam demonstrating entry level knowledge of the organization of public, non-profit, and commercial recreation and park agencies.
  • Standard 7.02 During the 2019-2020 academic year, 78% of students scored a 70% or above on the program design project demonstrating the ability to design a recreation program to facilitate targeted human experiences and embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity.
  • Standard 7.03 During the 2019-2020 academic year, 96% of students scored a 70% or above on the maintenance plan and budget assignment demonstrating the ability to develop a maintenance plan (including maintenance manual and complete budget).

Important Information Regarding Degree Mills

CHEA requires accredited institutions to inform the public about degree and accreditation mills. Cautions concerning these are summarized in a video that can be viewed at Here.

According to CHEA,

"Degree mills and accreditation millsmislead and harm. In the United States, degrees and certificates from mills may not be acknowledged by other institutions when students seek to transfer or go to graduate school. Employers may not acknowledge degrees and certificates from degree mills when providing tuition assistance for continuing education. Accreditation from an accreditation mill can mislead students and the public about the quality of an institution or program. In the presence of degree mills and accreditation mills, students may spend a good deal of money and receive neither an education nor a useable credential.

For more information on COAPRT accreditation, contact the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions at (360) 205-2096, accreditationcouncil.org, or write to:

Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions
1401 Marvin Road NE
STE 307, #172
Lacey, WA 98516

Accreditation Documents