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Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education Minor

Leave the desk behind. Make a career doing what you love and where you do it best — teach others how to connect and appreciate the great outdoors.

Build a foundation in the broad discipline of outdoor recreation and education by developing ecological literacy of the natural world.

Program type:
Minor
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
1-2 years
Credit hours:
16
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Why minor in Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education?

With today’s increased concerns about screen dependence, sedentary lifestyles, and ecological damage, demand is growing for leaders who have strong communication skills and a passion to engage others in outdoor, experiential learning that leads to positive change. This field mixes experiential education, highly impactful practice and field based applications to foster physical, emotional, and cognitive connections to the outdoors while encouraging environmental conservation.

The minor is an excellent complement for students studying:

  • Education
  • Fish and wildlife
  • Biology
  • Environmental studies
  • Atmospheric sciences

 

What majors pair well with a Outdoor Leadership & Environmental Education minor?

Combining an Outdoor Leadership & Environmental Education minor with certain majors can enrich your understanding of child development, educational practices, and social contexts. Here are some bachelor's degrees that pair well with a Outdoor Leadership & Environmental Education minor:

  • Elementary Education Degree: Prepares you for teaching across grade levels with a focus on early childhood development.
  • Early Childhood Education Degree: Prepares you to teach nature-based, place-based and outdoor education in formal and informal educational settings. The Certificate in Outdoor Education provides documented expertise in environmental, place-based and nature focused learning.
  • Environmental Studies: Compliments your understanding of culturally oriented environmental awareness by focusing on how people learn about nature, sustainability education and stewardship.
  • Public Health Education Degree: Prepares you for future roles focusing on human health and well-being and community health connected to benefits of nature-based experiences, environmental stewardship education and local food networks and gardens.
  • Secondary Education Degree: A Secondary Education major focuses on teaching specific subjects to students in grades 7-12, and pairing it with an Outdoor Leadership & Environmental minor can prepare educators to support students with a zen for the outdoors.
  • Dietetics & Nutrition Degrees: Gain first-hand experiential education in garden-based learning and develop awareness of local and sustainable food systems.
  • Fisheries & Wildlife Biology Degree: Gain knowledge and experience in science communication and environmental interpretation, essential to working in parks and preserves with public facing organizations. 

Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education at UND

  • A wide variety of rewarding career opportunities are available in conservation and sustainability, as well as jobs such as an outdoor/environmental educator, park ranger, wilderness guide or certified interpretive guide.

  • You’ll earn national certifications as an interpretive guide and wilderness first aid. 

  • You’ll learn practical skills and knowledge in the classroom and also through a mandatory internship and multiple service opportunities. You also have an option to study abroad.

  • You can meet students with like minds by joining the UND Environmental Restoration Club, Students for Sustainability or The Wildlife Society.

Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education Courses

OLEE 201. Exploring the Outdoor World: Nature and Society. 3 Credits.

Introduction to outdoor learning and recreation in natural environments, including exploring the socio-cultural, psychological, philosophical ecological and leadership influences in American society and among diverse groups of people. The class pays particular attention to the balance between human interests and ecological preservation in examining how social groups develop relationships to the outdoor world. F.

OLEE 271. Outdoor, Experiential Learning. 3 Credits.

Learn about the history, theories, philosophies, and contexts of nature based outdoor education for diverse learners, with a focus on experiential and immersive learning. Students will spend considerable time outdoors experiencing the natural world first-hand. F, odd years.

OLEE 362. Nature as Classroom. 3 Credits.

The world is facing increasing environmental challenges and issues, the majority linked to human impact. Ecological literacy and nature-based environmental education have become essential to foster the necessary awareness, critical thinking, attitudes and motivations that enable us to address these environmental issues. Nature-based environmental education provides an integrated approach to teaching centered on localized ecological and cultural (biocultural) systems with a specific focus on culturally relevant ways of understanding and working with the land and ecosystems significant to place. In this introductory course we will explore nature-based environmental and focus on critical analysis of readings and perspectives, experiential learning, our own connections to the natural world and hone our skills in nature-based leadership in topics such as learning gardens and watershed education. F, even years.

OLEE 470. Wild Thoughts: Interpreting the Natural World. 3 Credits.

As a field, Interpretation helps people develop a deep relationship to nature. This relationship changes based on history, culture, personal meaning and communication. Through an examination of the concept of wilderness, students will engage with the principles, methods, and insights of Environmental Interpretation and explore the many ways human societies have communicated values and relationships to the natural world. S, odd years.

OLEE 370. Outdoor Adventure Leadership. 4 Credits.

Field oriented course that provides knowledge, awareness and technical skill development through experiential practice of skills and immersive leadership opportunities. The course will foster understanding of outdoor leadership in both formal and informal settings, and provide skill training to develop competencies required to lead diverse groups and enhance recreation and learning experiences in the natural environment. Experiential, hands on, immersive learning in outdoor settings. S, even years.

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