Adventure Education Minor
The Physical Education & Sports Science (PESS) Department’s Adventure Education Minor prepares students using a theoretical, pedagogical, and technical skills approach to allow for hands-on experiential learning that will develop leadership skills in a variety of instructional settings within adventure education and outdoor pursuits.
Students learn how to lead and teach in a variety of settings that use outdoor and adventure environments as a tool to create change in individuals, organizations, and society. Students learn how to use human-powered outdoor pursuits including backpacking, high & low challenge courses, rock climbing, paddlesports, and other adventure based activities to expose individuals and groups to new growth and learning opportunities.
The Adventure Education minor prepares students for professional positions within K-12 schools, university outdoor programs, non-profit and commercial outdoor education organizations, as well as environmental and community recreation programs.
Students considering the Adventure Education minor should:
- Want to be an educator or outdoor leader to help others using adventure philosophy within adventure-based school, community, or outdoor programming.
- Want to enhance their relationships for intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and community development using Adventure-based strategies.
- Be intellectually curious and want to learn the “why” behind the “what.” Adventure Education courses involve a great deal of reading, writing, critical thinking, research and analytical skills.
- Be committed to education as much as to adventure. This includes academic motivation and a commitment to additional hours each week outside of class reading, writing, engaging in group projects, and preparing for class.
Adventure Education Minor Requirements (PDF)
