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Outdoor Studies Department

Degree Requirements

Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University prepares students for careers in recreation, park management, and outdoor education. Our goal is to graduate students who are ready to serve a wide range of user groups while maintaining thoughtful stewardship of the public land resource.

Five core competencies stand out within the Outdoor Studies Program.

1. The significance of public land to a culturally diverse outdoor community
2. The interpretation of natural history for education curricula
3. The design of both indoor and outdoor recreation programs
4. The art of expedition leadership, and
5. The development of a set of professional ethics

Alaska Pacific University's block and session format is an ideal structure for the Outdoor Studies Program. It allows students to expedition into some of the world's most remote wild places during the block. During the session students engage in a wide range of academic disciplines, including business, psychology, environmental science, and education.

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and APU have arranged an articulation agreement allowing easy transfer of NOLS credits for applicable APU courses.

Bachelor of Arts Degree with an Outdoor Studies Major
Outdoor Studiers Minors

Bachelor of Arts Degree with an Outdoor Studies Major Outdoor Studies Major Requirements: Credit Hours OS 200 Introduction to Outdoor Studies Sophomore Seminar * 4 OS 201 Recreational Program Design & Leadership 4 OS 205 Wilderness First Responder 4 SC Lab Science * 4 SC 410 Environmental Ethics 4 Natural History requirement * 4 Upper Division requirement 8 Expedition requirement 4 OS Skill requirement 6 OS 499 Senior Project 12 Total Credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 (C) 54 *Waived if taken to satisfy general university requirements. Natural History Requirement: Credit Hours one of the following: SC 105 Natural History of Alaska 4 SC 107 Physical Geology 4 SC 102 Intro to Botany/Zoology 4 SC 202 Winter Ecology and Cold Weather Physiology 4 SC 320 Animal Behavior 4 SC 350 Oceanography 4 SC 351 Meteorology 4 MAR 205 Seabirds and Marine Mammals 4   300-400 Level Outdoor Studies Requirement: Credit Hours two of the following: OS 301 Recreation and the Public Land Resource 4 PY 350 Psychotherapeutic Uses of the Wilderness 4 OS 410 The Business of Recreation 4 OS 415 Outdoor Education 4 OS 420 Alaska Natural History Interpretation 4   Expedition Requirement: Credit Hours one of the following: OS 302 Expedition Leadership 4 OS 303 Expedition Mountaineering 4 OS 316 Expedition Glacier Travel 4 OS 315 Expedition Sea Kayaking 4 (Note: all expedition and activity courses have additional costs and fees.)   Outdoor Skill Requirement: Credit Hours Select six credits from the following: OS 101 Beginning Climbing 1 OS 102 Introduction to Wilderness Skills 4 OS 110 Introduction to Winter Wilderness Skills 4 OS 115 Sea Kayaking 1 OS 207 Search Methods on Land 2 OS 208 Rescue Methods on Land 2 PE 103/203 Cross Country Skiing 1 MAR 310 Scientific Diving 4   Back to Top Outdoor Studies Minor Requirements The Outdoor Studies minor provides students the ability to customize their major by gaining knowledge and experience of the outdoor recreation profession. Some directed study course work may be applied to the minor. Outdoor Studies Minor Requirements: Credit Hours OS 200 Introduction to Outdoor Studies 4 OS 205 Wilderness First Responder 4   Environmental Science Elective 4   Outdoor Studies Elective 3   Outdoor Studies Activities Elective 6 Total 21   Recommended Activity Courses: Credit Hours OS 101 Beginning Climbing 1 OS 102 Intro to Wilderness Skills 4 OS 110 Intro to Winter Wilderness Skills 4 OS 115 Sea Kayaking 1 OS 303 Expedition Mountaineering 3 OS 315 Expedition Sea Kayaking 3 PE 103 Cross Country Skiing 1 The course descriptions for the Outdoor Studies major and minor can be found in the Outdoor Studies Undergraduate Course Descriptions. Back to top