Outdoor Adventure Leadership (APB)
With this 3-year (96 credits) academic program, students majoring in Outdoor Adventure Leadership are preparing for future careers in outdoor leadership, outdoor skills instruction, and guiding for non-profit and commercial adventure tourism companies, wilderness travels outfitters, state and national park rangers, youth developmental programs, summer camp leadership, and outdoor recreation programs.
Outdoor adventure leaders help others practice safe outdoor leisure activities, recreate through outdoor adventure tourism, reconnect with nature, develop youth leadership skills, develop healthy social skills, and enjoy summer camp experiences. Students majoring in Outdoor Adventure Leadership engage in outdoor activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, ropes courses, and mountaineering to systematically learn four broad sets of skills. First, they learn the professional and technical skills to operate competently and safely in demanding outdoor environments. Second, they learn how to teach various outdoor-related lessons that aim to the development of new skills, knowledge or values. Third, they learn how to develop, frame, facilitate and process adventure experiences so that their future clients and students grow personally and professionally. And fourth, they also learn to interpret and teach about the various natural environments they will encounter when teaching in the great outdoors.
Students enrolled in the Outdoor Adventure Leadership program take a variety of courses that cover adventure programming history, philosophy, ethics, theory, leadership group behavior and management, group processing and facilitation, experiential pedagogy, wilderness first aid, risk management, legal issues, and program administration.
In their second year, all students in Outdoor Adventure Leadership participate in a 15-credit Fall Immersion Semester, which involves wilderness backpacking and canoe camping expeditions lasting 4 to 15 days. They also have the option of spending a semester in the Outdoor Education program in Norway at the University of South-Eastern Norway in Bø to study friluftsliv (Outdoor Life). Outdoor Adventure Leadership students can also take courses with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) that will count toward the completion of their degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership.
Additionally, students are required to complete a minimum of 75 days of documented outdoor adventure leadership prior to their clinical placement in our Adventure Education Clinical course (AP 3890). This leadership/instruction experience must occur after the student’s formal matriculation into the Outdoor Adventure Leadership program. Some of this experience is gained through work at the PSU Outdoor Center’s Outdoor Experiences, CALE (Community Adventure Learning Experiences), and/or Outdoor Orientation programs while most is accrued through summer jobs in outdoor programs.
Many of the field-based courses require additional cost for transportation, food, permits, supplies or equipment rental. To meet these expenses, most field-based courses have fees attached to them. Students can expect to pay between $925 and $2,150 in additional course fees to complete the Outdoor Adventure Leadership major. The range in cost depends on what optional courses students choose to take throughout their studies in Outdoor Adventure Leadership. In addition, students are expected to provide basic personal outdoor clothing and equipment. The program will provide group, technical, technological, and safety gear. Students are also able to rent outdoor equipment for FREE at the Outdoor Center, which is managed by the Outdoor Adventure Leadership program.
Converting to a Bachelor of Science in Adventure Education
Students in the Outdoor Adventure Leadership program can convert their Applied Bachelor’s Degree to a Bachelor of Science in Adventure Education by simply adding one more year (2 semesters) of study in Adventure Education.
Program Mission
The mission of the Outdoor Adventure Leadership program is to provide an environmentally sustainable, academically comprehensive, and technically proficient education for future adventure educators. In addition, the program embraces the University motto Ut Prosim (That I may serve) by actively seeking and providing services to the campus and regional community.
Note for Student Athletes: Because field-based courses may occur on weekends, the schedule of student athletes majoring in Outdoor Adventure Leadership needs to be carefully planned and may disallow participation in some athletic events and/or affect their availability for working during some weekends.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AP 2010 | Foundations of Adventure Education | 3 |
| AP 2210 | Adventure Education Teaching Theories and Methods | 3 |
| AP 2300 | Rock Climbing Fundamentals | 3 |
| AP 2400 | Canoe Paddling Fundamentals | 3 |
| AP 2500 | Natural History and Ecology for Adventure Educators | 3 |
| AP 3101 | Immersion Wilderness Expedition (TECO) | 4 |
| AP 3201 | Immersion Human-Nature Relationship | 3 |
| AP 3301 | Immersion Adventure Leadership and Group Management | 4 |
| AP 3401 | Immersion Wilderness First Responder | 4 |
| AP 3320 | Adventure Education Philosophy and Theory (WRCO) | 3 |
| AP 3500 | Adventure Processing and Facilitation | 3 |
| AP 3510 | Outdoor Skills Clinical | 1 |
| AP 3890 | Adventure Education Clinical | 1-3 |
| AP 4600 | Risk Management in Adventure Education | 3 |
| Choose one Fall course from: | 3 | |
| Lead Rock Climbing | ||
| Whitewater Kayaking | ||
| Chose one Spring course from: | 3 | |
| Adapted Adventure Programming | ||
| Alpine Mountaineering | ||
| Complete one Mathematics course of your choosing (QRCO) | 3-4 | |
| Electives | 10-12 | |
| General Education | ||
| EN 1400 | Composition | 4 |
| IS 1115 | Tackling a Wicked Problem | 4 |
| MA | Mathematics Foundations | 3-4 |
| CTDI | Creative Thought Direction | 4 |
| PPDI | Past and Present Direction | 4 |
| SIDI | Scientific Inquiry Direction | 4 |
| SSDI | Self and Society Direction | 4 |
| IS 4220 | Signature Project (INCO,INCP) | 4 |
| Total Credits | 96 | |
Check all course descriptions for prerequisites before planning your course schedule. The course sequence, below, is suggested but not required.
To complete the applied bachelor’s degree in 3 years, you must successfully complete a minimum of 15 credits each semester or have a plan to make up credits over the course of the 3 years. For example, if you take 14 credits one semester, you need to take 16 credits in another semester. Credits completed must count toward your program requirements (major, option, minor, certificate, general education or free electives).
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| EN 1400 | Composition | 4 |
| IS 1115 | Tackling a Wicked Problem | 4 |
| AP 2010 | Foundations of Adventure Education | 3 |
| AP 2300 | Rock Climbing Fundamentals | 3 |
| AP 2400 | Canoe Paddling Fundamentals | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| AP 2210 | Adventure Education Teaching Theories and Methods | 3 |
| AP 2500 | Natural History and Ecology for Adventure Educators | 3 |
| Directions (choose from CTDI, PPDI, SIDI, SSDI) | 4 | |
| MA | Mathematics Foundations | 3-4 |
| Elective 1 | 1 | |
| Credits | 14-15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| AP 3101 | Immersion Wilderness Expedition (TECO) | 4 |
| AP 3201 | Immersion Human-Nature Relationship | 3 |
| AP 3301 | Immersion Adventure Leadership and Group Management | 4 |
| AP 3401 | Immersion Wilderness First Responder | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AP 3500 | Adventure Processing and Facilitation | 3 |
| AP 3510 | Outdoor Skills Clinical | 1 |
| Directions (choose from CTDI, PPDI, SIDI, SSDI) | 4 | |
| Directions (choose from CTDI, PPDI, SIDI, SSDI) | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| AP 3310 |
Lead Rock Climbing or Whitewater Kayaking or Special Topics in Adventure Education |
3 |
| AP 3320 | Adventure Education Philosophy and Theory (WRCO) | 3 |
| MA@ | 3 | |
| Directions (choose from CTDI, PPDI, SIDI, SSDI) | 4 | |
| INCP | Integrated Capstone | 4 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| AP 3710 |
Adapted Adventure Programming or Alpine Mountaineering or Special Topics in Adventure Education |
3 |
| AP 4600 | Risk Management in Adventure Education | 3 |
| AP 3890 | Adventure Education Clinical | 1-3 |
| Electives | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15-17 | |
| Total Credits | 96 | |
- 1
If Mathematics Foundation is 3 credits.
The Outdoor Adventure Leadership program focuses on safety, challenge, leadership and professional growth. Through a combination of classroom work, clinical experiences, and field experiences, Outdoor Adventure Leadership students also explore theories, philosophy, history, ethics, and risk management related to outdoor adventure programming. Specific learning outcomes include but are not limited to:
- Display professional competence in the following outdoor skills: backcountry camping, navigation, leave no trace practices, top rope rock climbing, and canoe paddling.
- Demonstrate effective leadership skills that include professional ethics, vision, communication, decision making, flexible leadership, and tolerance for adversity.
- Demonstrate effective teaching skills for a variety of outdoor related lessons.
- Demonstrate a basic level of ecological literacy in natural environment encounter during the curriculum.
- Demonstrate backcountry emergency skills at the level of a Wilderness First Responder.
- Demonstrate competent facilitation skills including assessment of client groups, planning and conducting adventure based learning experiences and promoting transference of learning.
Graduates pursue careers in outdoor adventure leadership programs, state and national parks, outdoor guiding outfitters, summer camp leadership, and outdoor recreation programs. Examples of alumni employment include but are not limited to these organizations:
Recreation
- College and University Outdoor Recreation Programs
- Town and City Youth and Adult Recreation Centers
- US Military Base Recreation Programs
- US Forest Service Recreation Programs
- Outdoor Activities Guiding Companies
- Adventure Tourism Industry
Developmental
- Cooperate Adventure-based Training & Development Programs
- Youth Development Programs
- The YMCA
- The Boy Scouts of America
- The Girl Scouts of America
- Faith-based Outdoor Adventure-based Programs