Master of Outdoor Adventure & Expedition Leadership
A one of a kind graduate program for the serious explorer.
Offered as a Master’s Degree in Outdoor Adventure & Expedition Leadership
The Master of Outdoor Adventure and Expedition Leadership (MOAEL) is designed to meet the needs of outdoor adventure leaders and educators in the regional, national, and international communities. This program targets outdoor educators and adventure leaders seeking a high-level graduate program with a strong foundation in theory and experiential learning, and equips students with the interdisciplinary skills required to grasp and develop new concepts, technologies, methods and trends in the outdoor adventure leadership field. The MOAEL will provide outdoor adventure leaders with the experience, knowledge and tools needed to advance into leadership roles and shape the future of this dynamic field. Above all, students will grasp and embody the concept of the “explorer” mindset: being determined, resilient and inquisitive to meet the demands of an uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
By completing the program, students will gain leadership skills associated with the outdoor adventure industry, with an emphasis on learning to transfer and redirect their abilities towards any endeavor. In short, MOAEL students will gain the skills to lead any group, in any environment, towards any goal. To achieve this objective, students will develop their own regional, national, and international expeditions to gain key skill-sets that are critical for experiential leaders and modern day adventurers. Our students will become leaders, activists and explorers; developing their own unique and innovative leadership styles to shape the future of the outdoor adventure industry and to tackle the unstable, inexact, multifaceted, and unclear obstacles and challenges associated with any transformational expedition.
The MOAEL will incorporate a cohort model, with a new cohort starting every fall quarter and progressing through the academic program together. The cohort model fits perfectly with the expedition mindset; teams engage in tightly-knit learning communities of 10-12 students, encouraging their members to think deeply, participate actively, and work collaboratively towards a common goal. Cohorts are inherently student-centered, and designed to elicit collaboration, as each cohort member acts as the leader and learner; and students are encouraged to support everyone’s contribution to the group. Members build strong bonds through shared learning experiences, reflective in-depth group discussions, and an intense and demanding extended international expedition.
MOAEL courses will be offered on SOU’s main campus, off-campus, nationally and internationally. The course of study will consist of five consecutive quarters, starting in the fall and ending the following fall, and including the summer quarter. Fall quarter will include a comprehensive self-assessment course, a graduate-level research methodology course, and an adventure leadership course. Winter quarter will include two more theoretical courses, focusing on adventure programming and risk management. During the winter, students will apply course content to planning the intensive spring undergraduate course and planning their summer international program. Spring quarter will involve helping to guide and teach undergraduate OAL students during the intensive spring quarter. Summer quarter will include a five-week international expedition. The second fall quarter will comprise reflection, including a final thesis that will involve a presentation at a professional conference that synthesizes students’ graduate study experience. Students will also take six to twelve elective graduate courses during both fall quarters and the winter quarter.
To help fuel innovation and creativity in the outdoor recreation field, sound research is needed to contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding outdoor adventure. Every MOAEL students is required to write a thesis during the program. Students will start in the Fall with the methodology course and continue their research throughout the consecutive quarters. Each graduate student will work with a graduate advisor who will help guide and mentor their progress. Students will wrap up their research during the second Fall quarter and present their work at a professional conference such as the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education.
The cohort will plan and execute an international expedition, combining the team’s shared experiences, individual skill sets and knowledge into a culminating transformational journey. The expedition will utilize the adventure and explorer mindset to advance a cause. In other words, the expedition will represent adventure with purpose: adventure that makes a difference and positively impacts the world. Each expedition will include a final documentary that will be shared with the SOU community during the Fall semester. The expedition will challenge every aspect of the student, mentally, physically, academically and spiritually.