Outdoor Recreation & Education Major

About the Program

This option provides students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required for effective professional practice in the field of outdoor recreation and education. The program blends traditional didactic and field-based learning opportunities to create a unique educational experience for students in the major. Students have opportunities to develop foundational knowledge related to the discipline, technical proficiency in various outdoor adventure pursuits, expeditionary and wilderness travel experience, and programming, leadership and teaching ability that can be applied in a wide variety of professional contexts. General topic areas in the program include outdoor leadership, environmental interpretation, parks and protected areas management, ecotourism, and adventure programming. Emphasis in the curriculum is placed on understanding and appreciating the interconnection of humans and the broader ecological frameworks in which they live as well as the role of natural environments in sustaining human health and wellbeing. Students can earn a number of professional certifications and certificates through academic coursework in the program.

Upon completion of the degree, students should qualify for direct leadership, supervisory, and administrative positions in a wide variety of professional settings in which outdoor recreation and education is practiced. Some of these settings include municipal recreation and park departments; state and federal parks and protected areas; youth services agencies; residential camps; nonprofit civic and religious organizations; collegiate outdoor pursuits programs; ecotourism and adventure travel operations and guide services; and traditional outdoor schools, such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Bruce Martin
Program Coordinator, Recreation Studies
Patton College of Education
Grover Center, E150
Athens, OH 45701
740.593.4647
martinc2@ohio.edu