Hospitality, Recreation and Leisure programs in Ontario
24 programs across 7 campuses, with published admission ranges starting at 70%. Sorted by the range each one publishes, lowest first, so you can see where you land.
Programs
24
Campuses
7
Lowest range
70%
What this leads to
The picture for hospitality, recreation and leisure as of 2026-08-17, not a description of this particular program.
People work as front-desk managers, event coordinators, and restaurant/bar managers at hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourist attractions. Others move into revenue management roles (using data to optimize pricing) or food and beverage operations that handle purchasing, budgeting, and staff scheduling.
In its favour
- The sector is actively hiring: Canada's hospitality and tourism industry employs about 2.1 million people, and labour demand is real and growing, especially in Ontario.
- Roles offer direct customer interaction and visible impact—you see your work shape someone's experience immediately, whether that's a guest's arrival or a special event.
- Multiple career paths branch off: starting in entry-level customer service, you can move into management, event planning, culinary operations, or revenue/data roles without needing a grad degree.
Worth knowing
- AI is already automating front-line work: check-in kiosks, chatbots, and robot delivery systems are cutting routine customer-service and housekeeping roles. While adoption is still early (only 1.5% of properties had AI by 2025), the trend is accelerating fast.
- Heavy seasonality and shift work are the norm: many hospitality jobs are part-time or seasonal, meaning variable hours and income stability issues early in your career.
- Entry-level wages are low and competition for management roles is fierce. You'll likely start in minimum-wage or near-minimum positions; climbing to a salaried manager role takes years.
How AI is changing this work
Routine front-desk, housekeeping, and basic guest-service roles are being actively automated right now—chatbots handle queries, kiosks do check-in, robots deliver items. The jobs that will survive and grow are those requiring complex problem-solving, staff leadership, and high-touch guest relationships: event management, F&B operations, revenue management, and general management. If you start a degree in 2027, you won't compete with those routine automation jobs; instead, you'll need to aim for roles that use AI as a tool, not ones that AI replaces. The sector is still hiring, but the entry level is narrowing.
Where this came from (6 sources)
- 1. BC Tourism and Hospitality Employment Tracker
- 2. 51,471 hospitality Jobs in Canada, June 2026 | Glassdoor
- 3. Recreation and Leisure, Hospitality and Administration jobs, Customer Service
- 4. Canada's Hospitality & Tourism Job Market: A Comprehensive Employment Landscape Analysis | BeBee
- 5. Canada Summer Jobs 2026: Youth hiring period now open, with up to 100,000 jobs available - Canada.ca
- 6. Hospitality Immigration to Canada: 2026 PR Pathways | Megrez
All 24 programs
- 70–75%TMUBusiness Management (Co-op Available)
- 70%LakeheadOutdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism (Thunder Bay)
- 73–80%OttawaActivité physique – (B.A.P.) (4 ans)
- 73–80%OttawaActivité physique (B.A.P.) – Éducation et coaching (4 ans)
- 73–80%OttawaActivité physique (B.A.P.) – Gestion du sport et des loisirs (4 ans)
- 73–77%BrockRecreation and Leisure Studies
- 73–77%BrockTherapeutic Recreation
- 73–77%BrockTourism Studies
- 75%LaurentianÉducation concurrente et Outdoor Adventure Leadership – moyen-intermédiaire
- 75%LaurentianConcurrent Education with Outdoor Adventure Leadership – Junior/Intermediate
- 75–80%OttawaHuman Kinetics (BHK) (4 years) - Education and Coaching (French Immersion Stream is available)
- 75–80%OttawaHuman Kinetics (BHK) (4 years) - Recreation and Sport Management (French Immersion Stream is available)
- 75–80%OttawaHuman Kinetics (BHK) (4 years) with Emphasis on Social Sciences (French Immersion Stream is available)
- 75–80%OttawaSciences de l'activité physique – (B.Sc.) (4 ans)
- 75–80%OttawaSciences de l'activité physique (B.Sc.) – Études appliquées en kinésiologie (4 ans)
- 80–86%GuelphBachelor of Commerce (BComm) Undeclared (first year only)
- 80–86%GuelphHospitality and Tourism Management (BComm) (co-op option)
- 80–85%OttawaHuman Kinetics – Bachelor of Science (BScHK) (4 years) (French Immersion Stream is available)
- 80–83%WaterlooRecreation & Leisure Studies, Sport & Recreation Management, Therapeutic Recreation (Regular/Co-op)
- 80–86%GuelphSport and Event Management Commerce (BComm) (co-op option)
- 80–85%TMUSport Media
- 82%OttawaHuman Kinetics (BScHK) - Applied Studies in Kinesiology (4 years)(French Immersion Stream is available)
- 87–90%BrockSport Management
- 87–90%BrockSport Management International Double Degree
Other subjects
- Business Studies 203
- Interdisciplinary Studies 187
- Computer Science 135
- Education Studies 117
- Environmental Studies 116
- Psychology 109
- General or Integrated Engineering 104
- Law & Criminology 101
- Media and Communication Studies 98
- Economics 95
- Biological Sciences 92
- Others in Subjects Related to Medicine 92
Ranges are what universities publish, not guaranteed cutoffs. Work out your top 6 to see which of these you actually clear.