Outdoor Adventure Leadership
The Department of Health, Physical Education and Leadership (HPEL) is now offering a BA/BS in Health and Physical Education with a concentration in Outdoor Adventure Leadership (OAL). For information on this exciting new program, contact Dr. Donna Mills at 552-6045 or Mills@sou.edu.
The Outdoor Adventure Leadership program has been designed from an integrative perspective offering comprehensive coursework in outdoor leadership, outdoor recreation management, adventure planning, tourism, risk management, stewardship, conservation, and preservation. The curriculum will help prepare students for a variety of certification opportunities in the outdoor recreation profession including Avalanche I (Forest Service), Leave No Trace Instructor, Swift Water Rescue (ACA), Open Water Diver (PADI), Introductory Canoe and Kayak Instructor (ACA), Wilderness First Responder (WSI), Safe Serve, Challenge Course Facilitator, and the National Recreation and Parks Association Certified Parks and Recreation Professional certification. Graduates from this program will be prepared to pursue studies in higher education and/or vocational pursuits in the areas of adventure services, outdoor recreation leadership and management, tourism, camp management, parks and recreation services, guide services, adult and youth recreation, adventure programming, etc.
The curriculum is offered through the HPEL department. Detailed information about the courses for both the concentration and the minor is available below.
Why are we excited to offer this concentration?
There is growing opportunity to work in this field. The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) declares that "participation in outdoor activities is at an all-time high" and that "69% of the population age 16 and over participated in an outdoor activity during each of the last two years" (2003). Two-thirds of Americans participate in outdoor recreational activities monthly, up from 50% five years earlier, according to Outdoor Recreation in America (1999). This indicates a growing trend in the field of Outdoor Recreation.
We are now one of only two regional OUS institutions offering a program in outdoor recreation (OAL).
The program provides for transferability from regional and national institutions offering coursework and/or associate degrees in related fields. This program would be particularly beneficial to the many 2-year institutions in our region that offer coursework in outdoor recreation, AAOT programs, or offer an associate degree in outdoor recreation or related fields (Rogue Community College, RCC; Umpqua Community College, UCC; Southwest Oregon Community College, SOCC; Central Oregon Community College, COCC; Klamath Community College, KCC; Mt. Hood Community College, MHCC; Feather River Community College, FRCC, etc.).
Check out our region! Work and play in the Southwest Oregon.
- Proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
- Access to a large number of rivers and extended seasonal whitewater opportunities.
- Optimal climate for “all-season” experiential based learning.
- Convenient access to several local mountain regions and lush interior valleys, national parks and monuments
(Siskiyou, Klamath, Marble, Trinity Alps, Russian and Cascade Mountains, Klamath Basin, Rogue Valley,
Valley of the Rogue State Park, Oregon Caves, Lassen National Park, Crater Lake National Park,
Kalmiopsis Wilderness, etc.). - Opportunities for study at the new Deer Creek Center for Field Research, and Crater Lake Science and Learning Center.
Jobs in outdoor recreation
- Recreation Leader or Superintendent
- Recreation Specialist or Supervisor
- Recreation Programmer
- Special Events Planner
- Military Recreation Director
- Director of Parks and Recreation
- Recreation Center Director
- Natural Resources Manager
- Correctional Recreation Director
- Community Recreation/Recreational Sports Director
- Therapeutic Recreation Director
- Leisure and Fitness Director for the Elderly
- Wilderness Expedition Director
- Rafting/Mountaineering Guide
- Ski Instructor
- Travel and Tour Director
- Resort, Hotel, Motel Manager
- Camp Director
Interested but can’t declare HPE as a major? Check out our Minor in Outdoor Adventure Leadership
Coursework for the HPE concentration in Outdoor Adventure Leadership
