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Outdoor Studies Department

Academic Courses

The core academic curriculum of Outdoor Studies consists of theories and concepts of recreation, program planning, public lands and wilderness use, leading and teaching outdoor programs, wilderness first aid, science, ethics, and project development and implementation. For a complete list of requirements go to our online catalog.

The first academic class is Introduction to Outdoor Studies, this class introduces the concepts, history and theories of the field of Outdoor Recreation. Projects in the class include researching an accident in the outdoors or designing a scientific study such as recreational impact on a natural resource. The next class, Program Design and Leadership, teaches students how to systematically design and implement an outdoor program. The students design their own 5 day program and also plan and implement a program such as the Headwaters Institute Alaska Natural History Symposium.

Students also take 8 credits of Environmental Science lab classes, Environmental Ethics, and Intro to Environmental Science, giving them a solid understanding of scientific methods and the natural sciences. With approximately one extra year of course work some students have added an Environmental Science Major as a double major.

Our Wilderness First Responder class gives students a nationally certified extended backcountry first aid certificate, plus CPR. This is the standard that employers in the outdoor field require in first aid.

As students move into their Junior and Senior years they are given more freedom to pick and choose classes to tailor their academic program to their own interests. Students pick an emphasis in Outdoor Studies through upper division OS classes and/or a minor. They also have the freedom to pick electives, such as our Wilderness Writing course.

The emphases are:

• Land Management: This focus is for students interested in parks and recreation management. Topics include land history and legislation, current outdoor recreation and wilderness management issues, and land management practices. They may take Environmental Policy and Planning classes in Environmental Science along with our Outdoor Recreation Trends and Issues class. Students do practicums with local parks and recreation departments or federal land management agencies.
• Outdoor Education: With this concentration students learn about outdoor curriculum development and implementation, teaching in the outdoors, and interpretation. Students may minor in Education or Environmental Science and take our Interpretation in the Outdoors class. Their practicums are working outdoors with adventure programs or environmental education centers.
• Commercial Recreation/Tourism: This area emphasizes business, particularly adventure tourism. In this emphasis students learn about developing business plans, grant writing, marketing, risk management, and the day to day operation of a small business or nonprofit organization. They take our Business of Recreation class, typically minor in Business, and have practicums with guiding and tour companies.
• Adventure Therapy: In this emphasis students learn about how to facilitate personal growth and change through the use of adventure and the outdoors. They minor in Psychology and take our Psycotherapeutic Uses of the Wilderness class. Students do practicums with physical and mental therapy agencies and business that have an outdoor component.

Once students are of Junior Standing they take a Junior Practicum. There they explore the working world with a business, organization, or government agency that suites their educational and career goals. The practicum is an excellent opportunity for the student to apply what they have learned in the classroom, gain valuable real life experience, and add to their resume.

At the end of their Junior Year student compile their Portfolio, which summarizes all of their life's learning and experiences.

The final step in APU's educational model is the Senior Project. The project is each student's own creation, something that ties their experience at APU and in life together. Examples of projects include trips, books, research, building projects, and internet web sites. The diversity of the projects reflects the multidiscipline nature of Outdoor Studies.