Academic Accreditation - CARTE

The Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE), an organization created to develop minimal quality standards for accrediting university education programs in the field, was established in 2010 and is sponsored by ATRA. CARTE is an approved accreditation program under the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

CARTE and ATRA entered into a ten-year contract from 2013-2022 in an effort to stabilize and standardize higher education program accreditation specifically for the field.

The mission of CARTE is to promote the highest levels of professional competence of recreational therapists through: 

• The development and promotion of professional preparation standards;
• The encouragement of excellence in educational program development; and 
• The accreditation of recreational therapy professional preparation programs

Finding Academic Programs with CAAHEP/CARTE Accreditation

To access information on Recreational Therapy academic programs currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) under the standards of the Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE), follow these directions.

1. Visit the CAAHEP website: https://www.caahep.org/
2. Scroll across the top of the webpage to the “Students” tab.
3. Select “Find an accredited program” from the drop-down menu in the Students tab.
4. Click on “Profession”
5. Check the box for “Recreational Therapy” and confirm by clicking “Search”