Recreation and Leisure Studies - Master of Arts (MA)

Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion

Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion located on Waterloo's main campus

Advance your knowledge and career by studying leisure and leisure behaviour from a variety of social science perspectives with the Master of Arts in Recreation and Leisure.

This program combines theory and practice to deepen your understanding of both the positive and negative aspects of leisure. Develop new ways to enhance quality of life for individuals, families and communities. You’ll learn from faculty members who are active scholars recognized for their published work in fields including: 

  • Leisure, health and wellbeing 

  • Leisure and community 

  • Leisure, space and place 

  • Leisure and social justice 

  • Leisure organizations, services and policy 

Study options

Coursework option (online):

The coursework option allows you to address a wide range of practical issues related to leisure, recreation, well-being and quality of life. The coursework option is a flexible, interdisciplinary, course-based curriculum, making it a top choice to pursue any professional career related to leisure.  

Offered online, it can be completed full- or part-time and does not require a thesis, giving you maximum flexibility to fit your needs and commitments.

Thesis option (on-campus):  

In the thesis option, you will learn to conduct high-quality independent scholarly research through coursework and a thesis completed under the supervision of a faculty member. Advance your knowledge of theories and concepts of leisure while developing research competencies like research methods and designs in problem-solving, hypothesis testing and theory development. You’ll also increase your understanding of the importance of the applications of theories, methods, and models associated with leisure in contemporary society. 

It can be completed full- or part-time and will prepare you for further study at the PhD level or any professional career related to leisure.  

Research project opportunities for this program

Gender Intelligence Lab

The Gender Intelligence Lab (GIL) conducts and translates academic expertise in gender studies, equity, technology, and transformative social change.

Rooted in feminist scholarship and social justice principles, the lab serves as both an incubator and amplifier of research, advocacy, and applied knowledge that interrogates how gender shapes – and is shaped by – systems of power, representation, and resistance.

Risk, Injury, Sport, & Equity (RISE) Youth Sport Lab

Seeking motivated Master's and PhD students to join the Risk, Injury, Sport, & Equity (RISE) Youth Sport Lab. We study the ways in which athletes feel safe and included in sport, recreation, and leisure environments and how they experience injury and risk within these spaces. Ongoing funded projects explore sport-related concussion reporting for youth girls, safe sport practices in community sport organizations, stories of belonging for Black girls and women in hockey, and concussion communication and management efforts. Our work aims to foster athlete well-being, and emphasizes community-oriented partnerships that drive positive changes in youth sport experiences.

The REC: Radically Embodied Collective

Like mushrooms popping up in a field, this collective springs into action in response to widespread and ongoing anti-life doctrines that reverberate across the nation and globe (e.g., anti-trans legislation, rolling back queer and disability rights). The REC, directed by Dr. Aly Bailey in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo, is a collection of research, scholars, and activists centring bodymind differences by queering, cripping, and thickening leisure, fitness, and health. Bridging theory and practice, building bodymind coalitions (across fat, disabled, queer, racialized, Mad communities), and working with powerholders invested in access and inclusion, The REC demands for research and teaching that challenges power, subverts oppressive structures (e.g., ableism, racism, fat hatred, anti-queer, etc.), and celebrates embodied diversity. Graduate students at The REC engage deeply with theory, bring research to action, and strive for justice.

Program overview

Department/School: Recreation and Leisure Studies
Faculty: Faculty of Health
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus (thesis option), Online (coursework option)
Program type: Master's, Research
Length of program: 24 months (full-time; thesis option), 12 months (full-time; coursework option)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis, Coursework

Application deadlines

  •  February 1 (for admission in September)

Note: Applications submitted after this date will be considered on a rolling basis until all available spots are filled.

Key contacts

Ibelemari Okojie
iokio@uwaterloo.ca

Admission limitations

Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. Please contact the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.

Marcus Thomas Pereira

It's not just about the coursework; it's the discussions, collaborations and mentorship that have made grad studies at Waterloo so rewarding for me.

Marcus Thomas Pereira, Recreation and Leisure Studies

Supervisors (for thesis option only)

  • Review the finding a supervisor resources
  • Before applying to the program, students are strongly advised to establish contact with potential supervisors

Admission requirements

  • A four-year honours bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Recreation and Leisure Studies or related field with at least a 75% standing. If the overall undergraduate average is below 75%, consideration may be given to the applicant's performance during the final year of academic work.
  • Competency in written expression, including evidence of ability to conceptualize, organize ideas and reason.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume/Curriculum vitae
    • Indicating past academic and professional experience.
  • Statement of interest
    • A statement of maximum 500 words explaining your interest in and fit for the program you’re applying to, uploaded as a supporting document in the online application. Review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion.
  • Program-specific questions (PSQ)
    • These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to. They can be viewed once you’ve started an application and are completed through a form in the online application.
  • Transcript(s)
  • Writing sample
    • Applicants must submit at least one substantial example of their work completed during the last two years of academic study. Students with professional experience may submit a professional report of which they were the sole or senior author.
  • References
    • Two academic references are required for the thesis option. Academic and professional references are accepted for the coursework option.
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees