Master of Arts (MA) in Leisure Studies

Program Requirements

One full academic year (12 months) of resident study at Dalhousie University is a minimum requirement for the one-year master's degree. Although the MA degree program officially has a one-year residency requirement, students should expect to take from 18-24 months of full-time work to complete the degree. For full-time students, the degree must be completed within four years of first registration.

Completion of the degree is also possible through part-time study. However, financial assistance is not available for students undertaking the degree on a part-time basis.

The MA Leisure Studies program consists of - 18 credit hours of courses and a thesis (equivalent to 12 credit hours). Required and elective courses are listed below. Each course is normally worth three credit hours. Electives may be chosen from the lists of courses listed in the Course Descriptions section, or from graduate courses offered by other departments at Dalhousie University, or, to a limited extent, at other universities.

Required Courses

  • LEIS 5501.03: Advanced Research Methods in the Social and Natural Sciences
  • LEIS 5503.03: Intermediate Statistics for Health Sciences OR another intermediate statistics course approved by the student's advisor. Prerequisite: Students must have completed an introductory course in statistics with at least a “B” grade.
  • LEIS 5592.03: Interdisciplinary Basis of Leisure Science
  • LEIS 9000.00: Thesis (considered equivalent to 12 credit hours)

Elective Courses

  • LEIS 5512.03: Lifestyles of Ill and Disabled Persons
  • LEIS 5561.03: Gender, Leisure and the Family
  • LEIS 5562.03: Perspectives on Youth
  • LEIS 5563.03: Leisure Behaviour and the Older Adult
  • LEIS 5600.06/LEIS 5601.03/LEIS 5602.03: Independent Studies. Open to independent completion of study. Interested students should consult with the Graduate Coordinator prior to registering in the course.
  • NURS 5100.03: Qualitative Research Methods

PLEASE NOTE: Not all courses listed below are offered every year. Please consult the timetable for a current list of courses offered.