Outdoor Education

Go outside to play, and learn.

Degree: Associate in Applied Science
Program Type: Career-Oriented Degrees
Pathway: Science
Credits: 60

Next-generation

SUNY Adirondack's Outdoor Education degree program studies adventure sports and recreation to educate, train and certify skilled, eco-conscious Outdoor Education enthusiasts. Students develop leadership and management skills through hands-on experience.

Degree requirements Program sheet

Classroom without boundaries

Our students learn through hands-on fieldwork. Back-country living, canoeing and Eastern mountaineering form the backbone of our curriculum.

A SUNY Adirondack Outdoor Education student climbs in the Adirondacks

Field trips

SUNY Adirondack sits at the foothills of the Adirondack State Park, home to some of the best outdoor recreation in the country. Vermont and Massachusetts also promise top-notch canoeing, snow sports and majestic mountain peaks. Our students learn through hands-on fieldwork. Backcountry living, canoeing and Eastern mountaineering form the backbone of our curriculum. Students transfer to: Plymouth State University | Vermont State University | University of New England

SUNY Adirondack Outdoor Education students canoe in the Adirondacks

Outside (the office) job

Regional and local businesses provide students access to real-world internships and networking opportunities. SUNY Adirondack's Outdoor Education degree program prepares graduates for immediate hire. Graduates have more opportunities to turn a love of the outdoors into a career than ever before. Our program gives you the skills to join an existing recreation company or to start your own.

Breath of fresh air

SUNY Adirondack Outdoor Education alumna Katelyn Kuklinski cross-country skis with her dog

My connections are rooted in SUNY Adirondack and I love that."

Katelyn Kuklinski Natural resources planner at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Research Foundation 2016

Read Katelyn's story

Learning outcomes

Plan, implement, manage, and evaluate physically, emotionally and environmentally sound adventure programs.

Analyze and evaluate historical, philosophical, and theoretical foundations of adventure education.

Apply current research and industry standards in developing best practices in teaching and program leadership.

Analyze, manage and mitigate risk associated with adventure programming.
(a) Identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and dilemmas as they occur in their own or others’ work in the field of adventure education. (b) Develop well-reasoned, articulate, and sustained conclusions.

Demonstrate successful completion of nationally recognized professional certification training programs.

Demonstrate mastery of adventure technical skills.

Apply theoretical constructs associated with primary outcomes for experiential education, group development, and adventure programming.

Examine ecological perspectives of recreation and tourism and contemporary environmental ethics, practices, policies and issues as they relate to adventure education.

Outdoor Education

Next-generation

Classroom without boundaries

Field trips

Outside (the office) job

Breath of fresh air

Careers in Outdoor Education

SUNY ADK advantage

in economic activity

Challenge Course

jobs supported

Learning outcomes

Our professors

Clint McCarthy

Kyle Esposito