Outdoor Studies (Environment) & BA (Hons) Outdoor Studies

We're holding online Q&A sessions with Outdoor lecturers on Facebook throughout the summer. Check the schedule for the next session.

Why study with us?

Based in the Lake District, students have unrivalled access to outdoor facilities, lakes, rivers, crags, mountains, forests and much more.

The course develops and attaches great importance to transferable skills relevant to outdoor work such as teamwork, leadership, personal development, facilitation, environmental knowledge and awareness, coaching and teaching.

Outdoor Studies offers students a broad range of modules, allowing them to either specialise, or create a multi-disciplinary degree. This degree has unique opportunities, unparalleled experiences, encouraging its students to be creative and innovative.

There are numerous residential and expeditions through out the UK, a two week expedition in the mountains of the Picos de Europa, Northern Spain and other international opportunities.

Students gain direct experience with many of the country’s leading outdoor employers who say our graduates stand out as innovative, skilled and flexible. The course is delivered by highly motivated and experienced staff with an established reputation for quality and originality.

Where will this course take place?

From September 2013, all Outdoor Education students will be based in Ambleside. Our campus offers easy access to the English Lake District with its unique geography. This exceptional location in effect become your classroom.

What can this course lead to? This course is designed for students wanting to pursue careers within outdoor skills instruction and coaching, therapeutic and personal development contexts of outdoor work, environmental education, conservation, teaching in schools, expedition leadership and several of the services (Police, Fire, Paramedics, Forces). Graduates will also be well equipped to enter postgraduate education. Resources and facilities As an outdoor student access to so many great outdoor venues is really important. These are on your doorstep, and students have access to outdoor equipment, boats, climbing rack etc. To access the skills equipment you need to show the necessary competence using it (this can be through taught sessions or NGBs). Once competent, students can borrow equipment to further their own skill development.

The university has lake access for boats on Windermere, two climbing walls, high ropes access course and a yurt camp. Students have access to forest for bush craft.

There are many outdoor providers in the Lake District. There are plenty of opportunities to gain either experience or paid freelance work.

Each year the university runs several National Governing Body courses at discounted prices. Students are encouraged to develop their portfolio. In addition we run some expeditions abroad that you may wish to join. In the past students have been diving in Egypt, white water kayaking in France, climbing in Red rocks in California and ice climbing in Norway.

Have a look at our learning resources for Outdoor Studies.

Entry requirements

260 UCAS tariff points

Find out more about qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Please check selection criteria for any additional requirements.

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: X300 UCAS points: 260 Costs

Click to view information on your study type and home location.

Full-time students

Home

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount).

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 per annum (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount).

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 per annum (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

International

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year is £9,960.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

International scholarship

If you are studying a full-time bachelor's degree (excluding teacher training and NHS-funded courses) or a top-up degree, you may be eligible for an international scholarship. The university has nine scholarships available. Find out more on our scholarships page.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

Part-time students

Home

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £4,125 per year.

As a part-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning over £21,000 a year (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £4,125 per year.

As a part-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning over £21,000 a year. For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

Additional contact information Find out more at http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/outdoorstudies

Name: Nigel Dykes, Course Leader
Email: nigel.dykes@cumbria.ac.uk UCAS Link

Visit UCAS

Modules

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course (PDF).

Course summary Both the BA and BSc. have a common first year. This gives students a broad base for subsequent years. You choose a BA or BSc pathway in year two. BA Outdoor Studies

This degree pathway encourages students to question and to challenge outdoor learning. A series of experiences are designed to examine current practice and encourage critical thinking about future practice. This degree pathway focuses on how people perceive and use the outdoors. Students explore their own perceptions of aesthetics. Students examine the current approaches to outdoor education and research international approaches such as in Norway, Australia, US, Czech Republic, Chile etc.

BSc Outdoor Studies (Environment)

This degree pathway allows students to deepen their own environmental learning. A variety of habitats and landscapes are studied in the field which aims to develop your field skills, provide hands on experience, develop critical understanding of management issues and seek positive solutions.

Case studies “The outdoor studies course was fantastic. I met so many like minded people. I had some wonderful experiences that showed me doors that I never knew existed.”

“This course has been brilliant. I have developed my outdoor skills and worked with some inspirational people. I particularly liked the Picos expedition – awesome.”

"The Outdoor Studies course prepared me well for life after university, especially in terms of outdoor experience, development training, environmental awareness and perhaps most importantly the life skills needed to progress forward."