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Outdoor Recreation Economy

The Outdoor Recreation Economy program at CU Boulder provides learners with a variety of opportunities to expand their knowledge and advance their careers in the outdoor recreation industry. This program’s flexible options allow you to engage in a way that fits both your career goals and your budget. Become an innovative leader, foster sustainable business operations, govern and promote access to public lands, or leverage outdoor amenities to grow local, sustainable economies.

Professional Advancement at Your Pace

No matter where you are in your career, the Outdoor Recreation Economy program offers pathways for you to gain knowledge, skills, and professional credentials to help you meet your personal and professional goals.

This program provides the tools to:

Break into the outdoor recreation industry,
Pivot your career or blaze an entrepreneurial path,
Grow the outdoor recreation economy in your community,
Deepen your professional experience so you can move up in your organization.

Educational Opportunities to Fit Every Career Path

Select the educational path that best fits your career goals and interests.

MS in Outdoor Recreation Economy

The Master of Science in Outdoor Recreation Economy is a completely online, professional master’s degree that meets the need for innovation and inclusive leadership across the outdoor recreation sector. Composed of stackable certificates, the program provides foundational knowledge as well as the ability to customize your education to meet your specific goals. Take the introductory certificate and then stack two additional certificates of your choice to earn your degree.

Learn More about the master of science in Outdoor Recreation Economy degree

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Graduate Certificates

Our graduate certificates span different facets of the outdoor recreation economy, including public lands and natural resources policy, economic development and resiliency, and the outdoor industry. They offer you a great way to tailor your education to meet specific interests and career needs.

Learn More about the available certificates

African American couple helps each other while hiking

Professional Development

Professional development is an ongoing journey and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for modern workers in a dynamic job market. If you are not ready to commit to a master’s or certificate program—or just need background and expertise in a particular topic—you may enroll in individual courses or short-duration workshops as a nondegree student. This is a terrific option to test the program and the online format, and to tailor your learning.

Learn More about professional development offerings

Why study the Outdoor Recreation Economy through CU Boulder?

The Outdoor Recreation Economy program at CU Boulder is the only completely online graduate program of its kind in the nation. We offer a comprehensive, industry-relevant education taught by recognized leaders in the outdoor and business fields.

The program’s design provides you with the greatest possible flexibility so you can tailor your coursework and schedule to fit your needs, and participate in the program no matter where you are located. It also leverages the university’s location in Colorado—and its deep connection with the outdoor recreation economy—to provide students with real-world problems to work on and learn from.