Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Outdoor and Environmental Education (Common Entry)

This Common Entry degree offers three award options, which are determined by the electives you choose. The Award Options are:

• Outdoor Education 
• Outdoor Education and Therapeutic Applications
• Geography and Outdoor Education 

What is Outdoor Education?

Outdoor education involves learning outdoors, challenge, personal growth, journeys in nature, reflection and adventure. It is widely recognised as having a therapeutic, educational, developmental, and social effect on participants and for fostering general wellbeing and a connection with the natural world.

Outdoor learning experiences are utilised within many sectors in Ireland, such as schools, social care organisations, community development, youth services and adventure tourism. Outdoor Education students at ATU gain an in depth understanding of the varied role of outdoor learning and develop experience in designing, running and facilitating educational programmes. Through fieldtrips, expeditions and lectures, students explore and examine Irish landscape, heritage and ecology and realise the potential of adventure tourism, green exercise and nature therapy. Graduates will be empowered to promote careful use and management of an increasingly threatened natural world and to educate others in wise use and sustainable practice.

These degrees offer a unique blend of academic learning and adventure sports training. 

Students explore outdoor education’s therapeutic, developmental, and educational aspects, while also studying Ireland’s natural and cultural landscape, health, fitness, group facilitation, recreation management, teaching, and psychology. 

Students have the option of degree in Outdoor Education or depending on specialist modules chosen, to receive a degree in Outdoor Education with Therapeutic Application or Geography and Outdoor Education. Students select their specialist modules during Semester 1 in year 1.

Each week includes adventure sports practicals in Mayo’s mountains and coastline, leading to National Governing Body Adventure Sports leadership qualifications.

What will I Study?
 

There are modules from six core areas:

• Adventure Sports Leadership and Safety Management
• Developmental Psychology and Teaching/ Facilitation Skills
• Expedition Planning and Guiding
• The Irish Geological and Cultural Landscape
• Environmental Science and Ecology
• Health and Fitness, First Aid and Water Safety

There are also a range of elective modules to choose from such as Outdoor Play, Health Promotion, and Languages. Students on the Geography and Outdoor Education course complete modules such as Digital Mapping, Geographical Information Systems, Rural Development and Society and Nature. 

You can also specialise in the therapeutic aspects of nature and adventure with modules in Adventure Therapy, Therapeutic Gardening, Psychology and Mental Health.
 

See the Year 1 Handbook for more details.

ATU's Outdoor Education programmes meet the demand for professionals in outdoor education centers, forest schools, nature kindergartens, adventure therapy, environmental education, eco-tourism, and outdoor recreation and resource management.

There are endless employment opportunities within educational and environmental organisations, social services, sporting governing bodies, Sports Partnerships, Coillte, National Parks, and youth services as facilitators, development officers and managers. Forest schools, green exercise and nature therapy are significant growth areas. Graduates are often employed in the area of Rural Development, Countryside Recreation, Trail Design and Eco/Rural tourism.

Graduates have also embarked on careers as entrepreneurs, joined uniformed services and completed a wide range of postgraduate programmes. Graduates will find employment as facilitators, youth development officers, outdoor instructors, coaches, managers and field studies officers, as well as in the below fields:

•    Nature Conservation and Environmental Education 
•    Youth and social services 
•    Sports coaching, guiding and instruction 
•    Outdoor activity managers 
•    Sports Partnerships and NGBs for Sport 
•    Countryside Recreation Management 
•    Rural Development and Trail Design 
•    Eco tourism 
•    Nature Therapy and green/blue exercise 
•    Wellbeing and personal development 
•    Expedition Planning 
•    Teaching and Education 
•    Research 
 

Did You Know? 

We have an exchange programme with Western Carolina University, USA and students have an opportunity to study Parks and Recreation for a year in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. Western Carolina is an excellent location for adventure sports. We also have Erasmus links with the University of Galva in Sweden and students can spend a semester there studying Arctic Ecology. In addition, we have Erasmus links with two universities in Norway where students can study the Nordic approach to outdoor expeditions and landscape management.

Special Features 

Students undertake weekly field trips and practical work to build a deep connection with nature and the local landscape. The program offers elective modules specialising in the therapeutic health benefits of nature and adventure.

We also offer a new innovative module looking at the community and therapeutic benefit of horticulture and gardening. We have an on-campus greenhouse that we use for this module.

Further Study Options 

ATU Level 8 qualifications are recognised worldwide for postgraduate entry. ATU run a Masters in Outdoor Education, Sustainability and Wellbeing. Graduates can also apply for master’s programmes ranging from environmental science, counselling, rural and community development, youth work, geographical information systems and sustainability.

See the Outdoor Education brochure for more information. 

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Contact Us

Orla Prendergast 
Programme Chair 
Email: orla.prendergast@atu.ie