Bruce and students

Photo: CMC instructor working with Outdoor Education students ina mountain biking class. Photo by Carl Zoch

Outdoor Programs: Learn to Become a Leader in the Outdoor Industry

Hands-on learning: CMC gets you out in the wilderness and teaches you the skills to travel through it safely.

CMC's epic location in the heart of the Rocky Mountains will challenge you with high peaks, raging rivers, winding canyons, and steep descents. Seasoned outdoor educators will guide you in building the skills you need to be a confident outdoor leader.

You can decide between two outdoor recreation degree programs: Outdoor Education and Outdoor Recreation Leadership. Both degrees provide viable pathways to careers in the outdoor industry or to transfer to a four-year program of your choice.

graphic: Outdoor Industry in Colorado, $62.5 billion per year
graphic: 500,000 Jobs in Outdoors Recreation in Colorado
graphic: 60% growth in five years in Outdoor Jobs in Colorado

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Everyone can benefit from the life-changing experience outdoor education can bring, and here at CMC you'll learn to become a facilitator of that change. Graduates of this program have gone on to direct outdoor programs in public schools, counsel at-risk youth in outdoor therapy programs, or work for other outdoor, experientially based schools.

Outdoor Recreation Leadership

Real-world courses will expose you to a wide variety of technical skills, including mountaineering, emergency medicine, rock climbing, snow travel, and white water rafting. Colorado Mountain College students are so well prepared, they are in high demand for outdoor jobs as raft guides, ski instructor, park rangers and wilderness instructors.

Certificates

The great outdoors is at your fingertips. CMC offers a wide range of outdoor recreation certificate programs which take a year or less to complete. Options include Professional Fly Fishing Guide, Rope Rescue Technician, Wilderness Emergency Medical Services and Sustainability Leadership. Learn outdoor skills with expert instructors and world-class teaching locations throughout the western United States. 

Sustainability Studies

Be an agent of positive change. Earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies with an optional Business Emphasis. Or expand your skills and resume with a Sustainability Leadership Certificate. 

“My experience in the Sustainability Studies program has been empowering and eye-opening. I was able to get a degree in a field that I have always been passionate about, and I’ve already obtained a job in a field I love." - BASS graduate Georgie Weber.