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Outdoor Education

Types of Degrees Outdoor Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Outdoor Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	27
Associate’s Degree	49
Bachelor’s Degree	164
Master’s Degree	96

What Outdoor Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Outdoor Education develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Outdoor Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Outdoor Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Outdoor Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Outdoor Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Outdoor Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Outdoor Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Inventory management systems	Inventory management software	—
Timekeeping software	Time accounting software	—
Work scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
Recordkeeping software	Data base user interface and query software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Outdoor Education graduates include:

• Recreation Coordinator
• Parks Recreation Director
• Parks Recreation Coordinator
• Park Recreation Manager
• Pack Worker Supervisor
• Service Chief
• Hotel Services Supervisor
• Checkroom Chief
• Salon Coordinator
• Aquatics Supervisor
• Community Life Director
• Arcade Supervisor
• Guest Experience Captain
• Spa Coordinator
• Shop Supervisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Outdoor Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	62.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	25.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
Some college courses	0.5%
Master’s degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Outdoor Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.2% women and 51.8% men among Outdoor Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	162	48.2%
Men	174	51.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Outdoor Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	290	86.3%
Asian	4	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	14	4.2%
Black or African American	5	1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.6%
Two or More Races	7	2.1%
Race Unknown	11	3.3%
International Students	3	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Outdoor Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Outdoor Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$21,413
4 years	$46,136
5 years	$47,445

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,445 — roughly 122% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Outdoor Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Outdoor Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	3	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Outdoor Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Outdoor Education graduates earn a median of $46,136 four years after completion — roughly 21% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Parks Recreation Fitness	31
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management	31.03
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies	31.01
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology, Other	31.99
PARKS, RECREATION, LEISURE, FITNESS, AND KINESIOLOGY	31.00
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	31.05

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.