DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
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Introduction
Bachelor Degree in Outdoor Education
Are you interested in a career where you can help others and the outdoors? The Outdoor Education program at B.H.S.U. will equip you for education positions in parks, nature centers, zoos, aquaria, eco-tourism programs, camps, wilderness programs, and much more. The Outdoor Education major combines studying natural history, education methods, and outdoor adventure. This program incorporates highly qualified faculty from many disciplines including interpretation, environmental education, experiential education, physical education, biology, botany, geology, and mass communications. They will work with you to meet your goals, including national certification and placement into top graduate programs. B.H.S.U. is uniquely situated in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. After a day of classes and studying, you can mountain bike scenic roads, cross country ski on miles of groomed trail, hike beautiful mountain paths, fly fish in scenic Spearfish Canyon, rock climb our world-famous Needles or Devil’s Tower, down-hill ski at Terry Peak or Deer Mountain, or watch the plentiful wildlife.
Are you looking for advanced certification?
Here at B.H.S.U., there are numerous and growing opportunities for certification from national organizations. You can earn the Wilderness First Responder certifications through a partnership established with the National Outdoor Leadership School, or earn the Certified Interpretive Guide certification through a partnership with the National Association of Interpretation.
Interested in going on to grad school?
With a degree in Outdoor Education, you can also go on to graduate school in many of the related fields of environmental education, interpretation, outdoor education, experiential education, natural resources management, leadership studies, and more. If you are considering this option, you should meet with an advisor to select the appropriate electives and complete an undergraduate research project.
Career Opportunities
Careers
The Outdoor Education program will prepare you for education positions in non-traditional education settings. Common jobs include:
- interpretive park rangers in state and national parks
- naturalists in nature centers
- educators for zoos and aquaria
- information and education program coordinators for natural resource agencies
- adventure programmers with youth programs
- guides with wilderness programs
Our recent graduates are working as naturalists at nature centers, as program coordinators at camps, as youth program wilderness guides, as outdoor retail business owners, as hunter and fishing education coordinators for state wildlife management agencies, in city recreation departments, as outdoor education coordinators with schools, in youth programs with the YMCA, and more.