Leisure Studies

Dalhousie University's Master of Arts in Leisure Studies program explores the link between leisure and health and prepares you for roles in recreation, sport and fitness, arts, community organizations, government agencies (municipal, provincial, federal), healthcare, science, or research.

Dalhousie University ’s Master of Arts Leisure Studies program is a thesis-based program with two main areas of research concentration:Therapeutic RecreationandRecreation Administration. We offer a welcoming and close-knit community situated within a large and diversified health science environment that offers multiple opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration and work.

Undergraduate degrees in fields as diverse as the humanities, the social sciences, recreation and leisure studies, and human movement studies provide a strong background for the MA Leisure program. We guide our students toward becoming the leaders, healthcare professionals, and researchers in Leisure Studies that they aspire to be. Many applicants already have work experience in recreation, sport and fitness, or the arts, and they find they can easily apply their previous experience while acquiring new research and analytical skills.

The curriculum focuses onleisure across the life course,theoretical conceptsrelated to leisure, and thedelivery of leisure servicesin diverse contexts. Since leisure is a significant component in the promotion ofsocial,physical,psychological, andspiritual health, students in this program will graduate ready to apply their skills in a variety of settings.

Welcoming faculty help our students research the role of leisure in such topics as aging, community, diversity, management, and health and wellness. Through Dalhousie and its links with many institutions and organizations within Halifax and beyond, students make important connections, resulting in valuable and meaningful collaborative learning and career opportunities.

Situated within the School of Health and Human Performance, the MA Leisure Studies program is perfectly positioned to provide students withinterprofessional collaborationopportunities that emphasize the importance of leisure and its impact on health.

Possible careers include:

• Provincial government position

• Manager of sports, and/or recreation facilities

• Researcher

• Instructor at a community college or university

program options

Non-thesis: Build your skills and knowledge in this course-based program.

Courses include:

• Advanced Research Methods in the Social and Natural Sciences

• Interdisciplinary Basis of Leisure Science

• Independent Studies

• Qualitative Research Methods

• Marginalized Populations: Theoretical Insights and Applications