Enrich your community through rec, leisure and wellness initiatives
Recreation and Leisure Services Ontario College Diploma program
Gain the skills and practical experience to design, deliver and evaluate rec and leisure programs to all ages. Graduate job-ready for a fun and fulfilling career!
Program information
Program description
Students are introduced to skills and knowledge needed to succeed in recreation and leisure services. The curriculum includes community recreation, outdoor adventure, arts, culture, heritage, leisure, fitness, retirement activities, life enrichment in long term care, adaptive-therapeutic recreation, facility operations, programming, and event planning. Business administration fundamentals are incorporated with courses in marketing, accounting, technology, human resources, entrepreneurship and research. Experiential learning opportunities include participation in a number of events or programs working with children to seniors. Students gain proficiency in leadership and group facilitation by designing, delivering and evaluating diverse, inclusive, relevant, environmentally sustainable recreation leisure and wellness initiatives.
What career opportunities can I take in recreation and leisure?
Your Recreation and Leisure Services diploma gives you many career opportunities
Career opportunities include:
- retirement home and long term care activity director/life enrichment,
- adaptive/therapeutic recreation,
- facility and parks operations,
- municipal programmer,
- administrator in community, arts, heritage and cultural organizations,
- leader, director, facilitator at registered charities,
- athletics in education institutions,
- fitness and healthy/active lifestyle centres,
- private and commercial clubs,
- event planning services,
- recreation supervisor-youth organizations,
- resorts-sport and recreation manager,
- outdoor and adventure recreation.
Potential employers:
- Governing bodies
- Municipal recreation
- Recreation event planning and management
- Intercollegiate campus recreation
- Private and commercial recreation organizations (e.g., YMCA, Boys and Girls Club)
- Long-term care – activation
- Senior centres
- Cruise lines
- Private summer camps
- Outdoor recreation centres
- Resorts
Review program admission requirements and information about career opportunities.
What are the admission requirements for the Recreation and Leisure Services diploma program?
Recreation and Leisure Services admission requirements
OSSD or equivalent with
- Grade 12 English (C or U)
Mature students, non-secondary school applicants (19 years or older), and home school applicants may also be considered for admission. Eligibility may be met by applicants who have taken equivalent courses, upgrading, completed their GED, and equivalency testing. For complete details refer to: www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/academic-regulations/
Pathways
Applicants who have taken courses from a recognized and accredited post-secondary institution and/or have relevant life/learning experience may also be considered for admission; refer to the Credit for Prior Learning website for details:
www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/
Criminal Reference/Vulnerable Sector Check
Placement agencies require an up-to-date clear criminal reference check and vulnerable sector check prior to going out on placement. Students should obtain their criminal reference three months prior to placement; checks conducted earlier may not be considered current. As some jurisdictions require longer lead-time for processing, please check with the program coordinator to ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the completed document prior to placement start.
NOTE: A record of criminal offences, for which a pardon has not been granted, may prevent students from completing their placements, thereby affecting their ability to graduate.
What courses are included in the Recreation and Leisure Services program?
Course offerings and equivalents
Currently available courses are linked below. Please see our course listings of available General Education and Communications courses for this program.
How do I apply to the Recreation and Leisure Services program?
Apply online through ontariocolleges.ca
- Make sure you meet program admission requirements
- Complete an online application using the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) using the part-time program code
- When registration opens, select the course(s) from the program webpage course listing and follow the prompt steps to register and pay
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Finance and fees
As a part-time student, you may be eligible for OSAP funding, depending on the number of courses you take per semester.
For more information about OSAP, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the OSAP/financial aid webpage.
As a part-time student, you can take one to three courses per semester, paying on a course-by-course basis.
For course fee information, select a course from the course information section of this page.
Online learning
These courses are offered through OntarioLearn. Visit the OntarioLearn webpage to learn more.
OntarioLearn courses are set up as equivalents to the Georgian courses. You can choose to take the ODE courses or the Georgian courses.
When a Georgian course isn’t available to be delivered online, we’ve listed an OntarioLearn course in the delivery schedule. The majority of the Georgian courses have ODE equivalents set up. You can choose to take either course.
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)
Previous postsecondary education: If you’ve completed courses, or some or all of a program, at another accredited postsecondary institution, you may be able to transfer all or some of your courses into a related program at Georgian.
Relevant work or life experience: If you have relevant work and/or life experience that relates to your program(s) of interest at Georgian, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is an academic credit option.
To learn more about transfer credit and PLAR, visit the Credit for Prior Learning webpage.
Do you have questions about Recreation and Leisure Services? Contact us!
Questions about the program?
Tammy Burke-Marson, Programming Support Assistant