2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2021-2022, 313 people earned their degree in outdoor education, making the major the 313th most popular in the United States. In , outdoor education graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $27,786 and had an average of $0 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 61 outdoor education graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in outdoor education. That schools that top this list have a program in outdoor education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major”.

Top 5 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Outdoor Education

1

Alaska Pacific University
Anchorage, Alaska

Out of the 5 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Alaska Pacific University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Anchorage, Alaska, and it awarded 8 masters’s outdoor ed degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Alaska Pacific

2

Prescott College
Prescott, Arizona

Out of the 5 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Prescott College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Prescott, Arizona, and it awarded 15 masters’s outdoor ed degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Prescot College

3

Plymouth State University
Plymouth, New Hampshire

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Plymouth State University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major. Plymouth, New Hampshire is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s outdoor ed degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Outdoor Education at Plymouth State University

4

Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major list. This fairly large school is located in Mankato, Minnesota, and it awarded 7 masters’s outdoor ed degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at Minnesota State Mankato

5

Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Out of the 5 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Outdoor Ed Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the #5 spot on the list. Cullowhee, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s outdoor ed degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Outdoor Education at WCU

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to SLenartowicz.