Program Overview

Program Overview

The Recreation and Leisure Studies (Aging, Health and Well-Being) - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is offered by the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo. This unique collaborative PhD program focuses on aging, health, and well-being, providing opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations, access to diverse course offerings, and resources including dissertation committee members who can add unique perspectives in addressing emerging research problems.

Research Fields

The program encompasses various research fields, including:

• Health information management
• Illness and injury prevention
• Dementia and dementia care
• Social and environmental aspects of aging
• Health services and continuum of care
• Nutrition and healthy lifestyles
• Vascular aging and cerebrovascular disease
• Epidemiology and aging
• Mobility and aging
• Gender, sexuality, ethnicities and aging

Program Details

Department/School

The program is offered by the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies.

Faculty

The program is part of the Faculty of Health.

Admit Term(s)

The program admits students in the Fall term (September - December).

Delivery Mode

The program is delivered on-campus.

Program Type

The program is a collaborative, doctoral, research-based program.

Length of Program

The program is 48 months long for full-time students.

Registration Option(s)

Students can register for the program on a full-time or part-time basis.

Study Option(s)

The program offers a thesis study option.

Application Deadlines

• The application deadline for admission in September is February 1.
• Applications submitted after this date will be considered on a rolling basis until all available spots are filled.

Admission Requirements

• Normally, a master's degree with a minimum 75% average in a field relevant to the area of aging, health, and well-being is required.
• Relevant fields include kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies, health studies, and gerontology, but other degrees in life and social sciences may also be suitable.

Degree Requirements

• Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.
• Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate students.

Application Materials

• Resume/Curriculum Vitae: Indicating past academic and professional experience.
• Program-specific questions (PSQ): These are questions specific to the program you’re applying to.
• Transcript(s)
• Writing Sample: A copy of previous academic work, such as a term paper, published manuscript, or master's thesis.
• References: Three academic references are required.
• Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable: TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and Fees

• Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program.
• Review living costs and housing.
• Learn about the PhD housing guarantee program for admitted students in fall 2026 and winter 2027.
• Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students.