University of the Highlands and Islands
PgCert Outdoor and Adventure Therapeutic PracticeOnline
DURATION
1 up to 4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 3,330
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
Key Summary
Introduction
What is special about this course?
The PgCert Outdoor and Adventure Therapeutic Practice signals an important development for the adventure and therapy sectors, offering an innovative approach to defining and upholding professional standards for outdoor and adventure-based therapeutic practice.
Placing therapeutic theory and practice in professional adventure settings, this programme is essential for anyone wishing to expand into this field and enhance knowledge of therapeutic interventions in the outdoors.
Special features
- Unlock your future potential: focus on professional specialisation and synthesis of academic knowledge to shape your future
- Be part of the story: become a future shaper of the adventure sector with this innovative new and unique programme.
- Learn in your place at your pace (with some face-to-face!): supported online learning across all three modules, with two 1-week residential components based in Scotland.
- Learn with Adventure Therapy experts with worldwide experience.
- Access to outstanding adventure facilities set amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK during two residential courses.
- Opportunities to receive tailored outdoor-activity skill development and professional NGB training and assessment with the School of Adventure Studies' continuous professional skills development.
Curriculum
Core modules:
- Theoretical basis of outdoor and adventure therapies
- Reflexive therapeutic practice in outdoor environments
- Therapeutic programming in outdoor and adventure practice
Program delivery
Start date
- September
How will I study my course?
- Part-time (structured)
- Part-time (unstructured)
- You will learn through a combination of video-conference lectures and tutorials, and online study via the university's virtual learning environment (VLE), with support from your tutors. You will also learn applied knowledge and practical skills through two mandatory residential experiences based in Scotland
How long will my course last?
- Part-time (structured): 1 year @ 21 hours per week
- Part-time (unstructured): 2-4 years @ 3.5-7 hours per week (per module)
Number of hours per week indicates the total number of hours you should dedicate to the course, which includes time spent in lectures and your own time spent on individual study and research.
Program Tuition Fee
Admissions
Why study at University of the Highlands and Islands
Achieve a UK degree without moving abroad
Courses in health, sustainability, engineering, history, outdoors and more with theย University of the Highlands and Islands:
- Flexible study options to fit with your life
- #3 in the UKย andย #1 in Scotlandย for postgraduate student satisfaction
- Top 10ย most affordable UK universities
- Decades of online teaching experience
Browse all of the online undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that we offer for international students.
Career Opportunities
What can I do on completion of my course?
Once you have completed this course, you might like to consider:
- Working in expedition-based therapeutic programmes
- Working with vulnerable groups, such as child and adolescent mental health services or the criminal justice system
- Providing enhanced delivery and leadership in outdoor facilitating and outdoor education roles
- Enterprise and business start-up in outdoor development, adventure tourism or wilderness leadership opportunities.
Qualified and accredited counsellors and psychotherapists may also wish to integrate their knowledge and qualifications to practice in the outdoor and adventure therapeutic domain.