Begin Your Outdoor Adventure
Are you seeking a career that will allow you to combine your love of the outdoors with an interest in business and innovation? Outdoor recreation is poised to remain a large and dynamic part of the U.S. economy. With UNE’s location on the coast of Maine, you will be well situated to start your career in this thriving industry.
Graduates of this program will develop deep-level expertise about the industry, its intersection with sustainable community development, environmental policy, and small business management and entrepreneurship. In addition, graduates will leave UNE with valuable professional experience through their internships. We will work to match you with leading businesses in the outdoor industry.
Why UNE for Outdoor Business and Innovation
We worked closely with outdoor professionals and businesses to design and build an experience that will prepare you to succeed in the industry.
- Opportunities for paid internships with global companies and start-ups to give you industry experience
- UNE’s location on the coast of Maine places you in the middle of a thriving community of outdoor business innovators
- Faculty with experience as business owners
- Opportunities for global travel through study abroad and travel courses
- Curriculum designed to prepare you for additional graduate degrees in business
Academics
Within this major you will complete foundational business courses, outdoor recreation courses, outdoor industry specialization courses, and environmental courses.
Examples of Available Courses
- Outdoor Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability and Eco-Tourism
- Innovation Through Technology
- Conservation and Preservation
- Outdoor Recreation Planning and Management
- Wilderness First Responder
Curriculum
Program Required Courses
| CAS Core Requirements with Program-Specific Choice Requirements (below) | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENV 104 – Introduction to Environmental Issues | Credits included in Core Requirements |
| ENG 110 – English Composition | Credits included in Core Requirements |
| BIO 105/105L – Bio I: Ecology/Evolution with Lab | Credits included in Core Requirements |
| MAT 120 – Statistics | Credits included in Core Requirements |
| Total CAS Core Credits | 42 |
| Business Foundations Courses | Credits |
| BUMG 120 – Innovation through Technology (EXP) | 3 |
| BUMG 200 – Management | 3 |
| BUEC 203 – Macroeconomics | 3 |
| BUEC 204 – Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUAC 201 – Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BUAC 303 – Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| SRM 350 – Sport and Recreation Finance or BUFI 315 – Business Finance Concepts and Skills | 3 |
| BUMG 301 – Organizational Behavior or BUMG 303 – Management of Non-Profit Organizations or BUMG 313 – Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| Total Business Foundations Credits | 24 |
| Outdoor Industry Specialization Courses | Credits |
| ORM 350 – Outdoor Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| ORM 345 – Sustain & Eco-Rec Planning | 3 |
| ORM 401 – Seminar in Outdoor Rec Mgmt (capstone) | 3 |
| ORM 495 – Outdoor Rec Mgmt Internship w/ approved OB&I Focus | 6 |
| Total Outdoor Industry Specialization Credits | 15 |
| Environmental Issues and Policy Courses | Credits |
| ENV 220 – Environment and Society: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| ENV 344 – Environmental Ethics or BUMG 311 – Business and Society Relations | 3 |
| Choose Two (2) of the Following Environmental Issues Courses | 6–7 |
| BUEC 390 – Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ENV 200 – Society, Population, and Environment | 3 |
| ENV 208 – Climate Change | 3 |
| ENV 250 – Environmental Policy in Comparative Perspectives | 3 |
| ENV 317 – Case Studies in Preserving Biodiversity | 3 |
| ENV 333/333L – The Nature Writers w/Field Lab | 4 |
| ENG 301 – Nature Films | 3 |
| ENG 401 – Literatures of the Sea | 3 |
| HIS 335 – Environmental History of New England | 3 |
| MAF 200 – Introduction to Marine Pollution | 3 |
| Total Environmental Issues and Policy Credits | 12–13 |
| Outdoor Recreation Courses – Choose Three (3) | Credits |
| EXS 120 – Personal Health & Wellness | 3 |
| ORM 335 – Outdoor Recreation Planning/Policy | 3 |
| ORM 355 – Wilderness First Responder WFR | 3 |
| ENV 337 – Outdoor Environmental Education | 3 |
| HWOS 414 – Stress Management | 3 |
| Total Outdoor Recreation Credits | 9 |
| Open Elective Courses (needed to reach 120 credits) | Variable |
| Minimum Required Total Credits | 120 |
For more information view the Academic Catalog.
Find Your Career
Outdoor recreation creates more jobs than computer technology, construction, finance and insurance, transportation and warehousing, food and beverage service, education, and real estate, rentals/leasing industries respectively (OutdoorIndustry.com).
Some professional settings this major will prepare you for include:
- Global outdoor products companies
- Outdoor industry marketing agencies
- Tourism service providers
- Wilderness camps
- Entrepreneurial ventures
- Outdoor recreation centers
- Eco-tourism companies
Beyond the Classroom
Explore Inspiring Land and Seascapes
Travel in any direction from our Maine campuses and you will find yourself in an outdoor enthusiast’s wonderland. Whether it’s surfing, kayaking, hiking, skiing, or plain old-fashioned exploring, the areas around UNE offer a plethora of adventures just waiting to be experienced.
On and Near Campus
- 4,000 feet of campus shoreline
- Campus Beach
- UNE’s 363 Acre Forest
- UNE’s Ram Island
- UNE Nature Trail
- Saco River
- Saco Bay/Atlantic Ocean
- The Saco Heath raised peatland (bog)
- Biddeford Pool
- Goose Rocks Beach and other Maine beaches
Around Maine
- Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region
- Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
- The Wells National Estuarine Research
- White Mountain National Forest
- Acadia National Park
- Downhill and Cross-Country skiing
- Rock climbing
- Ice Climbing
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Canoeing
- Sailing
- Road and Mountain biking
Office of Innovation
Innovation is integrated in the design of everything we do, and the Office of Innovation is the champion for innovation at UNE. In our Makerspace — a fully equipped laboratory for creating and building — you’ll find graduate and undergraduate students from different disciplines working on projects to bring positive change. As an Outdoor Business and Innovation major, you will use the Makerspace to develop product prototypes that can be used in the Saco River bordering UNE’s Biddeford campus.
Sustainability
The University of New England is deeply committed to sustainability, and we're recognized by The Princeton Review in its Guide to Green Colleges. In fact, environmentalism is an institutional value. Explore how you can get involved in sustainability at UNE, and learn more about how our ways of teaching, living, and building support a healthy environment.
Experiential Education
Hands-on Learning
Outdoor Recreation and Entrepreneurship
Ram Island, UNE’s private one-acre living laboratory right in Saco Bay, and its surrounding waters are home to songbirds, harbor seals, and various intertidal flora and fauna. Outdoor Business and Innovation majors visit Ram Island for a "Survivor" experience, focusing on survival skills and outdoor recreation.
Within a short walk or drive from UNE's Biddeford Campus, you may explore a variety of unique habitats, including the University's 363 acres of contiguous forest. The State of Maine Natural Areas Program has labeled the land a "habitat of significant value" due to its high density of pocket swamps and vernal pools. The area contains both uplands and wetlands and is home to many species, including wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, and moose.
Ram Island: Our Own Research Ecosystem
Discover UNE’s 363-acre Forest
Internships
We offer dynamic internships specifically designed to match your interests with business that matters.
Some of our outdoor partner brands:
- Maine Outdoor Brands
- LL Bean
- Flowfold
- Kennebunkport Conservation Trust
- Portland Trails
- Patagonia
Global Opportunities
See the World
Get down to business on the other side of the world by taking part in our Global Education Programs. In addition to our semester abroad programs in Spain, France, Iceland, and at UNE’s own international campus in Morocco, you have the opportunity to take a shorter-term travel course to Iceland.
The Arctic Adventure Tourism course focuses on Arctic marketing, management, and communication relevant to the adventure tourism industry. You will gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to design and produce sustainable nature- and culture-based experiences. You travel to Iceland in the spring and participate in activities related to Arctic adventure tourism and meet with local business owners in the field.
