Outdoor Education Georgia College is keen on learning beyond the classroom no matter what major a student dives into. That’s certainly true with Outdoor Education. It offers a unique balance of traditional and experiential learning. In combination with the major, Georgia College provides the Outdoor Education Center Program, where students work with organizations across the state and country directing team building experiences and assessments. Both initiatives, the program and the center, are accredited by The Association for Experiential Learning, making Georgia College one of four universities with such a distinction. “Outdoor education provides a range of opportunities for students both in advanced study and various professions,” says Dr. Jude Hirsh, chair of kinesiology and professor of outdoor education. Students who major in outdoor education at the undergraduate level select a specialization in therapeutic use of adventure, management, environmental education or health and physical education in which they complete a minor in a wide range of disciplines selected from humanities, science, business or education. It is a testimony to the strong academic nature of Georgia College as the state’s designated public liberal arts university. In the graduate program, students hail from across the country and want to study at Georgia College, given its reputation, rigorous academics and excellent facilitation. As Hirsch explains, the impact of Georgia College students and graduates is felt far and wide: “Our students work in wilderness therapy and residential hospitals, national parks, independent and public schools, environmental advocacy organizations, corporate human resources, nature centers, public and private recreation agencies, colleges and universities and one student went on to write for National Geographic Adventure.”
Dr. Jude Hirsh, chair of kinesiology and professor of outdoor education
GEORGIA COLLEGE