Recreation Management

Earn two degrees at once and expand your options

This unique program is offered jointly by Dalhousie's School of Health and Human Performance and the Faculty of Management. After five years, you'll graduate with a Bachelor of Science (Recreation) and a Bachelor of Management-with a strong background in both the recreation and management fields. You'll have the business know-how and recreation management skills you'll need to start an exciting career in the growing recreation and leisure service industry. Our alumni and practicing professionals help guide our curriculum, which means you'll receive the skills and knowledge that employers are seeking. 

Our Recreation Management program is now accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Park, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT). 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. Our Recreation Management program is the first program of its type to be accredited in Canada. 

Vision: Well-being through Recreation and Leisure
Mission: We are intentional about:
• Linking teaching, research and community.
• Cultivating diverse and inclusive communities.
• Preparing conscientious leaders.

You'll have a wide variety of courses to choose from as you complete your degrees. In your first year, you'll take a mixture of introductory courses in Management, Economics, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Leisure Studies, and Health and Human Performance.

In subsequent years, the required Leisure Studies and Management courses become more specialized, while opportunities open up for other electives. Your courses will provide you with not only the theories of leisure studies and health promotion, but also the business skills and knowledge needed to effectively manage recreation programs and facilities.

The 14-week internship in the final year of the program takes you out of the classroom and provides you with hands-on work experience to enhance your studies. Please note: students who entered the program in September 2018 and onward will be required to do a 16 week internship.

Sample courses:

• Recreation Entrepreneurship and Special Events
• Leadership and Group Dynamics
• Introduction to Marketing
  

Learning experiences, assignments and courses are designed to help you develop your knowledge and skills for professional work in the recreation sector.

You will learn:

• How to work with diverse populations in recreation settings
• How to put evidence into practice to design recreation programs and services
• The roles and responsibilities of being a recreation professional
• How to build professional and interprofessional relationships and collaborations
• How to coordinate or manage recreation programs and services

Visit the Academic Calendar to view degree options and course details.

Tawjihi (General Secondary Education Certificate)

The demand for professionals in the fields of recreation and leisure is increasing as people, communities and governments prioritize healthier lifestyles. Because you'll graduate with two degrees, you can take advantage of career options in both recreation and management as well as finding positions that combine the two disciplines.

Opportunities are available in such industries and organizations as municipal recreation agencies, national sport governing bodies, festival and special event management, professional sport organizations, tourism and leisure and sport marketing. Some career options to consider:

• events and promotion
• sports marketing and development
• recreation programing
   

Future studies could include programs at the graduate level in business administration or a professional degree such as medicine or law.