Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Accreditation
Kent State University’s Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) through Fall 2026.
About COAPRT
The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (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. Here at Kent State, COAPRT accredits the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management program on a five-year cycle.
Accreditation Standards
The 2013 Standards (revised Nov. 2021):
- Eligibility Criteria
- Mission, Vision, Values, and Planning
- Administration
- Faculty
- Students
- Instructional Resources
- Learning Outcomes
Important Information Regarding
Degree Mills
COAPRT Standard 3.06 recommends that the following information is posted on our website: COAPRT is a CHEA-recognized accreditor. CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) is “A national advocate and institutional voice for promoting academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes approximately 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations”.1 CHEA serves as a review body, ensuring accreditor quality and focus on academic quality, accountability, self-study, resource stability, procedural fairness, and accreditation practices.1
Please watch this important video regarding degree and accreditation mills. According to CHEA, "Degree mills and accreditation mills mislead 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. 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." Read more on CHEA's website.
COAPRT Annual Reports (Student learning outcomes data can be found in the following annual reports)
2024 Anuual Report (PDF)
2023 Annual Report (PDF)
2022 Annual Report (PDF)
2021 Annual Report (PDF)
COAPRT Annual Data
Please view the RPTM program's annual assessment reports and data via the COAPRT Reports & Data page.