Break out of the cubicle as you promote health and happiness through recreation. Our hands-on major develops your leadership skills and confidence so you can create programs and events that help others experience life’s best moments.
Graduates of our program are rangers in the National Park Service and leaders in parks and recreation departments and in nonprofit recreation organizations like the YMCA and the Scouts. In the private sector, our graduates include ecotourism operators, professional staff at climbing gyms and fitness clubs, and athletic league supervisors.
Ferrum College is nestled in the forested foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. A short distance from campus, Philpott Lake and Fairy Stone State Park offer some of the best fishing and hunting in the state as well as canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, and camping. And within an hour’s drive, the Roanoke Valley hosts some of the best mountain bike trails in the region as well as trailheads for the Appalachian Trail, which meanders over the most beautiful and rugged mountains in the state.
Also on-campus is Norton Outdoor Adventures, a full-service adventure outfitter that provides guided programs including rock climbing, canoeing, backpacking, hiking, sea kayaking, caving, horseback riding, and skiing, along with a rock climbing club and mountain biking club. As a recreation leadership major, you have the opportunity to work or volunteer for Norton Outdoor Adventures to hone your technical and leadership skills.
This course is a study of recreation leadership and leisure philosophies, concepts, and theories including play, liminality, freedom, wilderness, attention restoration theory, biophilia, risk, adventure, and others.
Reviews the nature and meaning of recreation administration, particularly as it relates to public recreation agencies.
This course utilizes an experiential approach to developing concepts and skills needed for successful delivery of adventure recreation programs.
Responsible for providing professional recreational programming or facility coordination services for recreation programs.
Provides management direction and oversight for the preservation of cultural and natural resources. Manages the planning, construction, and maintenance of facilities.
Coordinates recreation-based treatment programs to help people reduce depression, stress, and anxiety; recover basic physical and mental abilities; build confidence; and socialize effectively.
Brings wellness and recreation into the workplace—organizing fitness classes, wellness challenges, and team-building activities. Generally working in spaces such as large companies, tech campuses, and government agencies.
View the catalog for all program courses and degree requirements.
