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Best Outdoor Education Schools

2023 Best Outdoor Education Schools

12 Colleges
$27,786 Avg Salary
$18,614 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Outdoor Education School for You

In 2020-2021, 265 people earned a degree or certificate in outdoor education, making the major the #313 most popular in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Outdoor Education Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 12 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Outdoor Education Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for outdoor ed majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Outdoor Education Schools

Our analysis found Minnesota State University - Mankato to be the best school for outdoor education students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the small city of Mankato, Minnesota State Mankato is a public school with a large student population.

Full Outdoor Education at Minnesota State University - Mankato Report

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Out of the 12 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Weber State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. WSU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ogden.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Vermont University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Outdoor Education Schools list. Northern Vermont University is a small public school located in the rural area of Johnson.

Outdoor Ed majors at Northern Vermont University take out an average of $23,227 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#4

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Michigan University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Outdoor Education Schools list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant.

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#5

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, NY

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means SUNY Cortland is a great place for outdoor education students. SUNY Cortland is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Cortland.

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The University of Montana came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Outdoor Education Schools ranking. UM is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Missoula.

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#7

Brevard College

Brevard, NC

Brevard College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best outdoor education programs. Located in the town of Brevard, Brevard College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Plymouth State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Outdoor Education Schools ranking. Located in the town of Plymouth, Plymouth State is a public school with a small student population.

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Murray State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best outdoor education programs. Murray State is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Murray.

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#10

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best outdoor education programs. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

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Outdoor Education by Region

View the Best Outdoor Education Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 4 majors within the area of study, outdoor education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 67,146
Recreation Administration 3,122
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 3,106
Other Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 174

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to SLenartowicz.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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