Tourism activities are only one of the recreational activities. Therefore, similarities and differences exist between recreation and tourism. The purpose of this study is to determine the similarities and differences between the syllabus of recreation management (RM) and tourism management (TM) departments. In this scope, the study examines the syllabus of RM and TM departments of Akdeniz University and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University. Document analysis is carried out using department syllabuses that was provided from the university websites. Results indicate that TM and RM syllabus of Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University is almost similar to those of Akdeniz University. Therefore, the syllabus of the RM and TM departments at both universities should be updated according to the similarities and differences between RM and TM departments.