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Adventure Education

Bachelor of Science

adventure_edA degree in Adventure Education from Plymouth State University will teach you how to use the Great Outdoors to expose children, adults and at-risk populations to challenging adventures, personal growth and self-discovery.

Surrounded by New Hampshire’s rivers, lakes and mountains, you will have the opportunity to explore skills in wilderness expedition, ropes courses, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, and winter camping.

Plymouth State students, faculty, and staff live life in the Great Outdoors. Campus participants recently placed in the top 10 in Outdoor Nation’s Campus Challenge. Up here, adventure is just minutes away.

DescriptionLearning Outcomes

The Adventure Education program focuses on safety, challenge, leadership and professional growth. Through a combination of classroom work, internships and field experiences, Adventure Education students also explore the theories, philosophy, history, ethics, and risk management related to Adventure Education.

Graduates pursue careers in outdoor/adventure leadership, outdoor/adventure education, state and national park outdoor education, therapeutic adventure, environmental education and recreation.

Degree Requirements

Minor Requirements

NOLS/PSU Agreement

Earn Adventure Education credits for studying at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). PSU and NOLS have developed a direct credit agreement, which allows students to earn credits toward their major or minor in Adventure Education by taking courses at NOLS. The PSU courses that can be taken at NOLS include:

AP 2309 Rock Climbing Fundamentals 3
AP 2409 Canoe Paddling Fundamentals 3
AP 3109 Wilderness Expedition 4
AP 3309 Adventure Leadership and Group Management 4
AP 3319 Lead Rock Climbing 3
AP 3409 Wilderness First Responder 4
AP 3419 Whitewater Kayaking 3
AP 3709 Winter Backcountry Travel 3
AP 3819 Alpine Mountaineering 3
AP 3959 Special Topics in Adventure Education 3

Students who complete a Bachelor of Science in Adventure Education are able to:

  1. Display professional competence in the following outdoor skills: backcountry camping, navigation, leave no trace practices, top rope rock climbing, and canoe paddling.
  2. Demonstrate effective leadership skills that include professional ethic, vision, communication, decision making, flexible leadership, and tolerance for adversity.
  3. Demonstrate effective teaching skills for a variety of outdoor related lessons.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to write quality lesson plans.
  5. Demonstrate a basic level of ecological literacy in natural environment encounter during the curriculum.
  6. Practice professional standards of risk management.
  7. Demonstrate backcountry emergency skills at the level of a Wilderness First Responder.
  8. Demonstrate competent facilitation skills including assessment of client groups, planning and conducting adventure based learning experiences and promoting transference of learning.
  9. Demonstrate the ability of conducting program outcome assessment.
  10. Describe and demonstrate risk management administrative practices appropriate to an entry level position in Adventure Education.
  11. Display understanding of professional standards of risk management.
  12. Is able to perform satisfactory work during an internship in Adventure Education.
  13. Is able to find and maintain work in Adventure Education or related field.

Health & Human Enrichment