Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies
Are you passionate about helping people live healthier lives, creating stronger communities, or making a positive impact on society and the environment? At Brock University, a Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies gives you the knowledge, experience and confidence to turn that passion into a meaningful career.
Explore how recreation and leisure can improve individual well-being, strengthen communities and inspire social and environmental change. Through engaging courses and hands-on learning, you’ll develop skills in leadership, administration, policy, advocacy and program development, while discovering how recreation can make a difference in the lives of people and communities.
You won’t just learn in the classroom. You’ll learn by doing. With mentorship from experienced professionals and opportunities across diverse sectors and settings, you’ll gain real-world experience through placements, internships and community-based projects. You’ll have opportunities to apply what you learn, build your professional network and make a meaningful contribution to issues that matter locally, provincially and nationally.
Whether your future takes you into municipal recreation, nonprofit organizations, outdoor education, community development or other recreation and leisure settings, you’ll graduate prepared to pursue a rewarding career and create positive change – at home and around the world.
If you’re interested in teaching at the Junior/Intermediate level (grades 4-10), the six-year Concurrent BRLS/BEd program allows students to complete both an Honours degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a focus on Outdoor Education and a Bachelor of Education degree.
Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation
Make a difference through recreation. Build a career with purpose.
Are you interested in helping people of all abilities live healthier, more meaningful, and fulfilling lives? A Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation gives you the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience that leads to a rewarding career where you can make a real difference in people’s lives.
Explore how assessment, program design, recreation, and inclusive practices can empower individuals to overcome barriers, build connections, and achieve their goals. Through experiential learning in community and healthcare settings, you’ll gain practical experience working with children and youth, people experiencing mental health challenges, individuals with developmental disabilities, and older adults.
Your learning culminates in a 560-hour required capstone internship, giving you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice and develop professional skills in a real-world setting. With internship opportunities across Canada, you’ll graduate with meaningful experience and a strong foundation for your future career.
Graduates are eligible to pursue certification through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC), opening the door to professional opportunities in therapeutic recreation across a range of community and healthcare settings.
Concurrent Bachelor of Recreation and Leisure Studies and Bachelor of Education
Imagine a career where you can teach, lead, explore and inspire both inside the classroom and beyond it.
The Concurrent BRLS (Honours, Concentration in Outdoor Education)/BEd program prepares you to bring learning to life through the power of the outdoors. Combining outdoor education and recreation, child and youth studies, kinesiology and education, this unique program gives you the knowledge, skills and experience to make a difference in the lives of children, youth and communities.
Outdoor education is about more than being outside. It’s about creating meaningful experiences that support physical and mental well-being, personal growth, leadership, community connection and environmental sustainability.
Throughout the program, you’ll learn how to use the outdoors as a place for teaching, discovery and development, connecting academic learning with real-world experiences. You won’t spend your entire university experience sitting in a lecture hall. The program provides multiple outdoor education field experiences where you’ll put your learning into practice. You’ll develop technical skills, lead outdoor experiences, explore risk-management strategies and experience firsthand how outdoor settings can become powerful learning environments. You’ll also complete placements in formal classroom settings, giving you valuable experience working with students and developing your teaching practice.
Whether you see yourself teaching in a school, leading an outdoor adventure program, developing youth recreation opportunities, or creating innovative learning experiences in nature, this program can help you get there.
