Welcome to the Outdoor Experiential Leadership Pathway!
Are you interested in working outdoors? Have you ever thought about helping others developing their potential through adventurous activities? Then, the degree in Outdoor Experiential Leadership (OEL) offered through the department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (RPTM) at Penn State University is for you!
The OEL degree is an exciting program that give students the opportunity to explore and develop their skills and leadership, based on Kurt Hahn‘s philosophy, in order for them to become Outdoor Educators.
We want to ensure that graduates from this degree pathway are employable and also have a broad understanding of outdoor experiential leadership. For these reasons and many more we focus in the early courses on taking part in outdoor education and then ease into gaining experience in leadership and planning. This structure creates rich opportunities for learning through experience and reflection connecting theory and practice in meaningful ways and develops critical analysis skills which are essential for success in the field of outdoor experiential leadership.
The pathway is run by passionate and enthusiastic outdoor experiential educators who are leaders in both research and practice working across multiple departments and units within the university and with a worldwide network which enables visiting speakers, internship opportunities and much more. On a campus of 45,000 students Penn State University offers first class facilities in all respects.