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Outdoor Recreation Management

The outdoors will become your classroom with the Outdoor Recreation Management program. Make a career in outdoor, environmental and experiential education yours with specific training in leadership and program management with an emphasis on environmental stewardship. This program is pending approval by SACSCOC.

Fast facts

• Our Outdoor Recreation Management program is the nation’s only program found within a school of business. It is also one of a handful of programs at an institution emphasizing a liberal arts education.
• Hiking, mountain biking as well as camping sites are all just steps from your residence hall.
• A short drive throughout the surrounding area will give you the chance to experience and explore canoeing, kayaking, fishing, skiing, and snowboarding.

What You'll Study

Creating a solid foundation is key to overall success, no matter what program you are in. From the program’s start, you will be immersed in courses such as Outdoor Leadership and Living Skills, Teaching and Facilitation and Business Administration. These courses will develop your knowledge in business fundamentals and outdoor recreation, and prepare you for upper-level classes and subsequent careers.

The upper-level courses are designed to hone and sharpen your abilities as well as round-off your skill-sets. Some of those courses will include Risk Management, Organizational Behavior and Contemporary Issues in Outdoor Recreation.

As part of your liberal arts education, you’ll also have the ability to further customize your learning experience with classes that spark your personal interest. You can take courses in Environmental Ethics, Wilderness Literature or even History of Wilderness and the American Mind.

Almost all classes, no matter where your specific path may take you, will offer a wide range of experiential, hands-on opportunities that will take you outside the traditional classroom. You can perfect your riding skills in your Mountain Biking class, traverse miles of wilderness in your Hiking and Backpacking course or glide down one of the hundreds of rivers in the Kayaking and Canoeing class.

Whether rock climbing at the Hidden Boulders on campus, obtaining your Leave No Trace Trainer certification or spending your summer as an intern at a National Park, you will have experiential, hands-on and engaging experiences unlike any other.

Beyond the Classroom

For Outdoor Recreation Management students, the “classroom” is often what is beyond the walls of Lees-McRae. The majority of courses have a field component, with skills courses such a rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, hiking and backpacking exclusively taking place in the field. Field experiences are an integral part of the Outdoor Recreation Management program.

After Graduation

• Outdoor program administration (higher education, non-profit, camps)
• Outdoor adventure/guiding services (activity specific, international, therapeutic recreation)
• Outdoor education schools (Outward Bound, NOLS, environmental education)
• Parks and recreation (resorts, military recreation, parks systems)

We have one mission: Lees-McRae educates and inspires students to approach life and work from a creative, collaborative, and critical perspective in preparation for diverse careers and environments. Through common ambition, we maintain our focus on the needs of all learners—residential on the main campus and degree completion through our online programs. Some are athletes, some are in the honors program, and some are working while returning to school. Regardless of where you are and where you want to go, our expert faculty and committed staff will help you get there.