Outdoor Education and Leadership, AA

Program Description

The Outdoor Education & Leadership degree program is for students interested in careers in outdoor education, environmental education, adventure programming, or conservation. This unique program combines wilderness expeditions and outdoor skills courses with natural history and a liberal arts curriculum. The program emphasizes leadership development and experience-based education. CWC offers a range of courses that use non-motorized travel (hiking, skiing, mountain biking and whitewater rafting) to visit and learn about remote wilderness areas in and around the Wyoming Rockies.

Students have the option to spend up to one full semester taking wilderness-based courses with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). NOLS offers educational expeditions at remote, pristine locations in the US and abroad. To receive college credit for NOLS courses, students must enroll concurrently in the appropriate corresponding course at CWC. For example, CWC students taking a NOLS semester course should be enrolled in G&R-2050, G&R-2031, and EDUC-2050. For more information on NOLS, visit www.nols.edu or call 1-800-710-6657.

The Outdoor Education & Leadership program is a 4-semester program for students ready for college-level courses. Students who place into pre-college math or English courses may require a preparatory semester before beginning the four-semester program. Students have the option to live at our outdoor education facility, Sinks Canyon Center (SCC). In the foothills of the Wind River Mountains, SCC offers unparalleled opportunities for reflective solitude, outdoor adventure, and study of the natural world.

General Education Requirements

Writing Level I (WR1) 3 credits
Writing Level II (WR2) 3 credits
American & Wyoming Government (POLS 1000) 3 credits
ARTS 3 credits
HUM 3 credits
LSCI (in program)
MATH 3 credits
ORAL 3 credits
SOC 3 credits
UNST 1 credits

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Course NumberTitleCredits
BIOL 1080Intro to Environmental Science

4 credits

EDUC 1050Leading Adventure Programs

3 credits

EDUC 1055Introduction to Outdoor Education

3 credits

EDUC 2470Outdoor Education Practicum

4 credits

 

HLED 2010Wilderness First Responder

4 credits

OR

HLED 2015Wilderness EMT

9 credits

HLED 2010, HLED 2015: G&R 2050, G&R 2031, EDUC 2050 together constitute the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) semester course and must be taken concurrently. In addition HLED 2010 or HLED 2015 may be taken concurrently for select NOLS semesters.

Students must choose four (4) credits from the following list of Expedition Courses

Course NumberTitleCredits
EDUC 2015Outdoor Educator:

1 - 5 credits

EDUC 2045Outdoor Leadership Instructor

1 - 5 credits

EDUC 2050Outdoor Education & Leadership

1 - 5 credits

EDUC 2015, EDUC 2045, G&R 2020, G&R 2030, G&R 2031, G&R 2032, G&R 2033, G&R 2034: Field-based, off-campus course

EDUC 2050, G&R 2050: G&R 2050, G&R 2031, EDUC 2050 together constitute the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) semester course and must be taken concurrently. In addition HLED 2010 or HLED 2015 may be taken concurrently for select NOLS semesters.

Students must choose three (3) PEAC course from the following list of approved courses

Course NumberTitleCredits
PEAC 1258Skiing & Snowboarding

1 credits

PEAC 1259PE:Cross Country Skiing

1 credits

PEAC 1287Introduction to Outdoor Rock Climbing

1 credits

PEAC 1297PE:Whitewater Rafting/Rescue

1 credits

PEAC 1380Outdoor Multi-Sport

1 - 3 credits

PEAC 1387Indoor Rock Climbing

1 credits

PEAC 1540Mountain Biking

1 credits

PEAC 2018PE:Water Safety/Lifeguard Training

1 credits

PEAC 2025Wilderness Navigation

1 credits

PEAC 2058Backcountry Skiing & Snowboarding

1 credits

PEAC 2088Alpine Climbing and Rescue

1 credits

Program Electives

Students must choose seven (7) additional credits from the PEAC courses above or from the following list of approved courses:

Course NumberTitleCredits
AIST 1350American Indians in Contemporary Society

3 credits

AIST 1005Intercultural Communication

3 credits

AIST 2000Indians of the Wind River

3 credits

AIST 2290History of U.S. Indians

3 credits

ANTH 1300Intro to Archaeology

3 credits

ANTH 2022Petroglyphs & Primitive Art

3 credits

ART 2022Petroglyphs & Primitive Art

3 credits

ART 2145Digital Photography I

3 credits

ASTR 1050Survey of Astronomy

4 credits

ASTR 1070The Earth: Its Physical Environment

4 credits

ATSC 2000Introduction to Meteorology

4 credits

ATSC 2110Introduction to Climatology

4 credits

BIOL 1010General Biology I

4 credits

BIOL 1020Life Science

4 credits

BIOL 2002Global Ecology

3 credits

CO/M 1005Intercultural Communication

3 credits

CO/M 1050Conflict Mgmt & Mediation

3 credits

CO/M 2130Human Relations

3 credits

CNSL 1310Personal Growth Group

1 credits

CNSL 2300Counseling for Helping Professional

3 credits

CNSL 2310Introduction to Group Counseling

3 credits

CNSL 2320Addictions Assessment

3 credits

CNSL 2330Counseling Diverse Populations

3 credits

CNSL 2340Theories of Counseling

3 credits

EDFD 2020Foundations of Education

3 credits

EDFD 2450Human Life Span Development

3 credits

EDUC 2015Outdoor Educator:

1 - 5 credits

EDUC 2045Outdoor Leadership Instructor

1 - 5 credits

EDUC 2050Outdoor Education & Leadership

1 - 5 credits

ENR 2425Mountain Environments

4 credits

G&R 2090Avalanche Lvl 2:Anlz Snwpk & Aval Haz.

2 credits

GEOG 1100Introduction to Geographic Info Systems

4 credits

GEOL 1070The Earth: Its Physical Environment

4 credits

GEOL 1100Physical Geology

4 credits

GEOL 1200Historical Geoloogy

4 credits

GEOL 1470Environmental Geology

4 credits

HIST 1270Indians of the Wind River

3 credits

HLED 2015Wilderness EMT

9 credits

PSYC 1250Human Potential Seminar

1 credits

PSYC 2210Drugs and Behavior

3 credits

ZOO 1200Human Biology

3 credits

ZOO 2015Human Anatomy

4 credits

EDUC 2015, EDUC 2045, G&R 1090, G&R 2020, G&R 2030, G&R 2031, G&R 2032, G&R 2033, G&R 2090: Field-based, off-campus course

EDUC 2050, G&R 2050: G&R 2050, G&R 2031, EDUC 2050 together constitute the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) semester course and must be taken concurrently. In addition HLED 2010 or HLED 2015 may be taken concurrently for select NOLS semesters.

Total Credit Hours: 60