Outdoor Adventure Education

Our BA in Outdoor Adventure Education is perfect for you, if you are ready to explore the great outdoors and turn your love for adventure into a rewarding career. This exciting course combines practical learning with academic knowledge, preparing you for a professional career in outdoor education and beyond.

You’ll gain hands-on experience through a variety of activities and expeditions. Imagine learning in wild locations, tackling challenging environments, and growing your skills in real-world settings. Our course covers everything from teaching and coaching to understanding important theories and practices.

We are uniquely located with access to the Pembrokeshire Coast and Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons National Park, the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the wild Cambrian mountains. These areas offer some of the best sea kayaking, coasteering, mountain biking and rock climbing in the world. We are also extremely well placed for hill walking, caving, white-water kayaking and woodland based activities.

Our programme is designed to help you develop essential skills through practical learning and fieldwork. You’ll learn from experienced tutors and adventure education providers who are passionate about outdoor learning. They will guide you through exciting and challenging experiences as you become part of a strong community of outdoor enthusiasts.

Throughout your studies, you’ll dive into subjects like principles of teaching and coaching and the psychological, sociological, and philosophical aspects of outdoor education. This mix of theory and practice will prepare you for various roles in health, education, and physical activity sectors.

Join us and become part of a vibrant community that values the great outdoors. You’ll have opportunities to work with outdoor adventure education providers, ensuring you’re industry-ready by the time you graduate. Plus, you can study modules in Welsh to make your learning experience even more enriching.

The programme is based in its own specialist facility for Outdoor Adventure provision: Cynefin. This dedicated space offers fantastic opportunities to further develop the programme with enhanced access to excellent resources and high-quality equipment, impressive teaching spaces and on-site facilities that further promote the key objective of integrating theory and practice.

In the first year, you’ll build a strong foundation in both practical and academic skills related to Outdoor Adventure Education. Modules are designed to develop your understanding of key principles in adventure, facilitation and risk management. These are delivered through full day practical learning experiences, developing knowledge and expertise across a broad range of activity settings.

The Great Outdoors (20 credits)
Adventure Sport Training (10 credits)
Facilitating Learning in the Outdoors (20 credits)
Foundation Adventure Skills (20 credits)
Managing Risk in Adventure (20 credits)
Psychological Approaches to Outdoor Adventure (10 credits)
Academic Skills (Sport, Health and Outdoor Education) (10 credits)
Adventure and Ecology (10 credits)

The second year delves deeper into the theory and practice of outdoor adventure education, health and exercise. You’ll participate in expeditions and tackle challenging locations, honing your coaching and teaching abilities through placement. This year emphasises community and collaboration, allowing you to work closely with experienced tutors and outdoor enthusiasts.

Compulsory
Discovering Outdoor Lifestyles (20 credits)
Adventure Leadership and Coaching (20 credits)
Expedition Skills (20 credits)
Research in Sport, Health and Physical Education (20 credits)

Optional
International Mobility Opportunity (60 Credits)
Health and Wellbeing in Education (20 credits)
Outdoor Learning to Support Health and Wellbeing (20 credits)
Professional Development in Sport and Health (20 credits)

in the final year, you’ll focus on advanced professional career preparation. You’ll engage in safe experiences and further your knowledge of critical incidents in adventurous activities. The curriculum includes specialised modules on landscape and sustainable recreation, ensuring you’re ready to lead and educate in the great outdoors. This year is about consolidating your learning and building a robust professional portfolio through your independent project.

Compulsory
Critical Incidents in Adventurous Activities (20 credits)
Perspectives on Outdoor Education (20 credits)
Landscape and Sustainable Recreation (20 credits)
Ecopsychology (20 credits)

Optional
Advanced Teaching and Coaching in Physical Activity (20 credits)
Contemporary Issues for Children and Young People (20 credits)
Work Placement in Sport and Health (20 credits)
Independent Project (Sport, Health and Outdoor Education) (40 credits)
Curriculum Design and Assessment in Physical Education and Sport (20 credits)

The aim of the assessments are to enable students to demonstrate that they have met the aims of the programme and achieved the learning outcomes of each module.

Given the practical nature of the programme, assessments are devised to maximise the link between theory and practice and allow students to demonstrate intellectual rigour and to reflect critically on their own experiences.

A variety of formats are used for coursework and practical assessments, including:

Portfolios
Practical teaching/coaching
Essays
Journals
Presentations
Digital Media
Blogs
Academic interviews.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS