Academically and technically proficient outdoor leaders — our graduates are field-tested
Signature Courses
Avalanche Forecasting
Backcountry Touring & Winter Ecology
Sea Kayaking & Marine Natural History
The way learning is approached at Prescott College is so empowering. The trust and confidence the program placed in me, as a scholar, made me feel that much more confident in my own abilities to set my own course and direct my own process.
For over fifty years, we’ve been a leader in adventure education providing students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to launch the careers they’re passionate about. Our graduates have become business owners, wilderness therapists, guides, program directors, college professors, avalanche forecasters and outdoor instructors throughout the world.
While studying adventure education at Prescott College, you'll have the opportunity to explore remote and beautiful areas in Arizona as well as breathtaking locations in other parts of the world. Be it on snow, vertical rock, mountains, sea, rivers, or in the classroom, you’ll find that learning comes alive with real-world opportunities to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of adventure education as a field of study. You’ll become competent in technical skills, leadership, teaching, communication, expedition logistics and the environmental and social sensitivity necessary for being a well-rounded adventure educator by applying your learning in real-life, outdoor settings.
The Bachelor of Arts in Adventure Education degree you will earn at Prescott College will reflect your unique desire to contribute to the world by connecting people to nature and to each other. Be it on snow, vertical rock, ocean, river, or in the classroom—you will develop theoretical grounding, leadership abilities, practical and technical skills, health and fitness, and sensitivity to the environment. You can choose an Emphasis in either Wilderness Leadership or Outdoor Program Administration distinguished by a few specific course offerings outlined below. Additionally, you can combine coursework that would be equivalent to a major (competence) and a minor (breadth), into an interdisciplinary degree title such as Therapeutic Use of Adventure Education, Outdoor Experiential Education, or Adventure-based Environmental Education.
A bachelor's degree for true adventurers and explorers
There’s a reason why Backpacker Magazine ranked us one of “The 20 Best Colleges for Hikers”. Your journey at Prescott College starts with a 21-day wilderness orientation expedition in the backcountry of Arizona or an intensive, 21-day, community-based orientation. With either option, you will develop a sense of place and make connections to the Southwest by studying the natural and cultural history of your surroundings.
Following orientation, you will have ample opportunities to explore more of Arizona and the Southwest in areas like the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, and the Gulf of California in Sonora, Mexico. Prescott College’s unique schedule of intensive blocks and traveling semester courses allows our students and faculty to remain in field settings for weeks at a time far from campus.
At Prescott College, exploration isn’t limited to the wilderness. You’ll have plenty of chances to explore other academic areas. Many students combine their studies in the field of adventure education with their interests in other study areas such as social justice, sustainability, or environmental studies into a unique, self-designed degree.
Want to take your education further? Be sure to ask about our accelerated master's degrees in adventure education.
