Internship and Fieldwork Guide

Welcome to the CSULB Department of Recreation & Leisure Studies Internship and Fieldwork guide. Here you can find information about the fieldwork and internship requirements for our undergraduate degree programs in Recreation Management and Recreation Therapy.

The Bachelor degrees in the RLS department require both FIELDWORK and INTERNSHIP hours. This guide helps describe the differences between fieldwork and internships, as well as the policies, procedures and recommended timelines for completing the required hours.

Degree specific requirements for Fieldwork and Internships

Internship graphic

Fieldwork 

Both the B.A. in Recreation Management and the B.S. in Recreation Therapy degrees require fieldwork.

FIELDWORK hours include any paid or volunteer hours completed with a recreation related agency, since a student's graduation from high school. This means you can earn credit for volunteer or paid work you’ve already completed or are in the process of completing. 

Recreation Managementstudents need to complete and document 1000 fieldwork hours OR take one semester of the REC 485 Fieldwork class. 

Recreation Therapy students need 200hrs of fieldwork AND one Semester of the REC 485 Fieldwork class, where students complete an additional 200hrs during the semester they are enrolled in the class. This means students can get credit for 200hrs of fieldwork based on past volunteer or paid experience they already have, and they must enroll in one semester of the REC 485 fieldwork class.

Specific fieldwork requirements:

  1. Paid or volunteer hours must be recreation related.
  2. You need to work or volunteer at least 100 hours per agency you include in your 1000 hours (for Recreation Management) or 200hrs (for Recreation Therapy).
  3. You can get credit for any paid or volunteer recreation related hours after your high school graduation.
  4. You can count your current recreation related job as fieldwork. 

"Recreation related” means any paid or volunteer experience that is with parks, recreation, events, tourism, campus, or recreation therapy related agency including but not limited to: facilitating youth programs, programs for people with disabilities, youth groups, summer camps, after school park programs, nature programs, outdoor adventure programs, YMCA or Girl/Boy Scout programs; Boys and Girls Club programs, environmental stewardship programs, athletic programs, special events, concerts, theater/plays, arts programs, residence life programs on campus; student recreation & wellness center, campus events, and more.

  1. Document your past and or present recreation related paid or volunteer experiences using the "1000hrs Form" found in the RLS department Canvas site. Turn that form in to the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator. You CAN continue to accrue fieldwork hours up until your last semester in the major, when you enroll in the REC 498 Internship class.
  2. If you may be concerned that you do not have 1000 hours of recreation related experience, you can enroll in one semester of REC 485, and complete 200 paid or volunteer fieldwork hours in one semester (about 12 hours per week in the Fall/Spring Semester, or 16-20 hours per week during the Summer Session) to fulfill the 1000hrs requirement. REC 485 is optional, but a good way to meet the fieldwork requirement if you are short on fieldwork hours.
    1. In order to enroll in REC 485, you will need to
      1. Identify a recreation related fieldwork site
      2. Get the fieldwork site to accept you as a volunteer (or employee, if it's a job)
      3. Meet with the RLS Internship coordinator to get permission to enroll in REC 485

Recreation Management Students (with concentrations in Parks and Recreation Management or Outdoor Recreation and Tourism) are required to complete a 400 hour internship through enrolling in REC 498. This class must be completed AFTER you have finished all other required fieldwork hours and  REC coursework, generally the semester after you enroll in REC 480. For a list of required coursework, check out the RLS Recreation Management degree requirements here: Bachelors in Recreation Management

Requirements for Completing a Recreation Management Internship:

  1. Complete all required coursework for your concentration.
  2. Document and submit your 1000 hours of approved fieldwork OR complete one semester of REC 485.
    1. Use the 1000hrs verification form to document your hours if you do not take REC 485.
  3. Submit the REC 498 Internship Application packet to the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator. This application packet will be available to you during the semester you are enrolled in REC 480.
  4. Identify a recreation related agency that will allow you to complete a 400 hour internship in one semester.
    1. Internships can be paid or volunteer
      1. Some agencies do not offer paid internships, however they do have paid part time positions with different titles like "Recreation Leader II."  These types of paid positions can count for an internship.
    2. The agency must be an approved internship site. Most sites can be approved, however the approval process can take some time. Be sure to meet with the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator to discuss your site to ensure it gets approved the semester PRIOR to beginning your internship.
      1. Agencies that offer paid positions can be approved quickly.
      2. Agencies that offer volunteer positions can still be approved, but must establish an official "Affiliation Agreement" with CSULB.  Contact the Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator for more information. 

Recreation Therapy students may meet the 1000 hours requirement by combining fieldwork and internship hours. Specifically, RT students can use 200 fieldwork hours from REC 485, PLUS 600 hours from REC 498, and 200 additional fieldwork hours (either from a second semester of REC 485, or via paid or volunteer recreation related experience) to reach the required 1000 hours. Here are the details: 

  1. Enroll in REC 485 and complete 200 hours of volunteer or paid hours in a Recreation Therapy related agency.
    1. RT fieldwork experience must include sites that have recreation therapy related programs and services, in either clinical (health or mental health, physical/drug rehab, etc) or community/non-profit settings.  If you have a question about what would count, or if you are unsure if your potential fieldwork site would count, please contact the RLS Internship Coordinator to review the site and your job/volunteer duties.
    2. This can include but is not limited to: community based programs; summer camps for people with disabilities; inclusive and or adaptive park and recreation programs; clinical recreation therapy agencies such as: hospitals, physical or chemical rehab centers; psychiatric hospitals; retirement centers; active older adult programs; and more.
    3. For an idea of agencies that could count, please see the list of CBRTC approved sites at this link:  California Board of Recreation Therapy Certification
  2. Complete an additional 200 hours of paid or volunteer fieldwork in a recreation related agency; or enroll in a second semester of REC 485. Document your past and or present RT related paid or volunteer experiences using the "1000hrs Form" found in the RLS department Canvas site. Turn that form in to the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator. You CAN continue to accrue fieldwork hours up until your last semester in the major, when you enroll in the REC 498 Internship class.
  3. Complete a 600 hour internship in REC 498, supervised by a Recreation Therapist with a CTRS credential; at an agency that is an approved internship site with CSULB. You must enroll in REC 498 AFTER you have completed all other required RT classes, and generally the semester after you complete REC 480. For a list of required coursework, check out the RLS RT degree requirements here: B.S. in Recreation Therapy
    1. To find out if an agency you are interested in is approved, contact the RLS internship coordinator.

Requirements for Completing a Recreation Therapy Internship:

  1. Complete all required coursework for your concentration.
  2. Complete one semester of REC 485.
  3. Document 200 fieldwork hours by using the "1000hrs verification form" located in the RLS Canvas site (OR complete a second semester of REC 485).
  4. Submit the REC 498 Internship Application packet to the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator. This application packet will be available to you during the semester you are enrolled in REC 480.
  5. Identify a recreation therapy related agency that will allow you to complete a 600 hour internship in one semester.
    1. The internship must be supervised by a Recreation Therapist with a CTRS credential.
    2. Internships can be paid or volunteer.
    3. The agency must be an approved internship site. Most sites can be approved, however the approval process can take some time. Be sure to meet with the RLS Internship and Fieldwork Coordinator to discuss your site to ensure it gets approved the semester PRIOR to beginning your internship.