Description
The Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer with a focus in outdoor leadership prepares students to transfer to a baccalaureate institution. Outdoor leadership includes careers in outdoor recreation, outdoor education, wilderness therapy, and tourism and leisure enterprises.
The Outdoor Leadership program is grounded in the principles of lifelong learning, environmental stewardship, personal growth, and leadership. The program emphasizes experiential methodologies to combine theory and practice in a strong, field-based curriculum. Students will develop current and accepted skills and will understand comprehensive knowledge and standards. Highly skilled and knowledgeable faculty exemplify the highest level of standards, integrity, and ethics.
The College offers two other options: Associate of Science with an outdoor leadership emphasis, designed for transfer to OSU-Cascades; Outdoor Leadership One-Year Certificate of Completion, designed for those who want a career and technical education award.
Statewide General Education Student Learning Outcomes
Entrance Requirements
While this program has no formal entrance requirements, individual courses may have prerequisites which must be met before enrollment.
Course Requirements
Course List | Course | Title | Credits |
| |
| 1 | 3 |
| |
| 4 |
| |
| 3-4 |
| |
| WR 121 | Academic Composition | 4 |
| WR 122 | Argument, Research, and Multimodal Composition | 4 |
| or WR 227 | Technical Writing |
| |
| |
| |
| 9-12 |
| |
| 12-16 |
| |
| 12-20 |
| 2 | 39 |
| Resource Interpretation | |
| Introduction to Outdoor Leadership | |
| Outdoor Living Skills | |
| Basic Wilderness Life Support | |
| Technical Skills for Outdoor Leadership | |
| Seminar in Outdoor Leadership | |
| Psychology of Risk and Adventure | |
| Facilitating Group Experiences | |
| Outdoor Recreation Leadership | |
| Co-op Work Experience-OL | |
| Alpine Climbing | |
| Canoe Program Instruction and Guiding | |
| Mountain Bike Guiding and Trail Stewardship | |
| Teaching Rock Climbing | |
| Whitewater Raft Guiding | |
| Total Credits | 90-106 |
Advising Notes
The Outdoor Leadership (OL) program is a cohort program where students complete courses each term with a single peer group. Before taking OL courses, students should complete as much of their general education requirements as possible.
Students begin introductory/fundamental OL courses courses in Fall term. This is a particularly special time as students attend courses in an outdoor classroom daily for the entire term and complete two five-day expeditions during the term. After Fall term, students complete prescribed courses in Winter and Spring terms. During Winter term, students work on advanced theory and application courses and gain more extensive understanding about the practices of professional outdoor leaders. Students complete another five-day expedition during Winter term. In Spring term, students complete advanced skills courses aimed at developing practice of professional standards within specific activities.
First-year completion requirements for enrollment into second-year include: completion of the OL-prefix courses (OL 271 Facilitating Group Experiences, OL 273 Outdoor Recreation Leadership, OL 280 Co-op Work Experience-OL, OL 294 guide course) with a grade of C or higher; completion of a minimum of 36 college credits made up, in part, by the above courses and appropriate prerequisites. See advisor for details.
Performance Standards
- Academic Requirements:
- Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn a COCC certificate or degree.
- All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
