Majors | Minors | Specializations

Your major

If you have been admitted to either Health Studies or to Kinesiology, that is your major. You'll have further opportunities to customize your program after first year.

If you've been admitted to Recreation and Leisure Studies, you can remain in that major, or target your studies to a specific area by choosing one of the following majors after your first year of studies:

• Recreation and Sport Business
• Therapeutic Recreation
• Tourism and Parks Management

Adding minors, options and specializations

You can further enhance your undergraduate studies by complementing your major with a minor, option, and/or specialization. Consult your major below for a list of available minors/options/specializations offered by the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences:

Health Studies

• Option in Aging Studies
• Pre-Health Professions Specialization
• Health Research Specialization
• Health Informatics Option
• Minor in Gerontology*
• Minor in Human Nutrition*

Kinesiology

• Pre-Health Professions Option
• Ergonomics Option
• Neurobehavioural Assessment Option
• Minor in Gerontology*
• Minor in Human Nutrition*

Recreation and Leisure Studies

• Parks Option
• Tourism Option
• Minor in Gerontology*
• Minor in Human Nutrition*

*The Minor in Gerontology and Minor in Human Nutrition are available to any University of Waterloo student in a 4-year honours program.

Specializations in other disciplines

If you are interested in pursuing a minor or option in an area other than Applied Health Sciences, e.g., psychology, biology, you should consult the Faculty sections of the Undergraduate Calendar to see if such a specialization is offered and which courses you'd need to take as your electives to complete the requirements.

Joint honours degrees

In some disciplines it is possible to combine your existing major with a major from second field of study should you wish to concentrate your studies equally and extensively in both areas. This requires pre-approval from both departments and advance course planning with an academic advisor.

Joint honours plans are currently offered in the following areas:

• Health Studies and Psychology
• Recreation and Sport Business and Speech Communication
• Recreation and Leisure Studies with one of the following: