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, embracing challenges, fostering personal growth, embarking on journeys in nature, reflecting on experiences, and engaging in adventure. It is widely recognised as having a therapeutic, educational, developmental, and social effect on participants, fostering general wellbeing and a connection with the natural world.

Outdoor learning experiences are utilised in many sectors in Ireland, including 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 field trips, expeditions, and lectures, students explore and examine the Irish landscape, heritage, and ecology, and realise the potential of adventure tourism, green exercise, and nature therapy. Graduates will be empowered to promote the careful use and management of an increasingly threatened natural world and to educate others on wise use and sustainable practices.

These degrees offer a unique blend of academic learning and adventure sports training. Students explore the therapeutic, developmental, and educational aspects of outdoor education while studying Ireland’s natural and cultural landscape, health, fitness, group facilitation, recreation management, teaching, and psychology.

Common Entry

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

Each student studies mandatory core subjects in addition to elective modules 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. Students can also specialise in the therapeutic aspects of nature and adventure with modules in Adventure Therapy, Therapeutic Gardening, Psychology and Mental Health.

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 an innovative module examining the community and therapeutic benefits of horticulture and gardening. We have an on-campus greenhouse that we use for this module.