I was planning on going to graduate school for International Defense and Intelligence, but with the troop pullout and defense downsizing, it just does not seem like a viable course of action any longer.

So my question is, are there any graduate programs that focus on outdoor recreation or even outdoor tourism. I really do not want to teach grade school, and with a bachelors degree in history and a minor in administration of justice, graduate school is a necessary step to finding a decent job not stuck in a cubicle all day for 40 years.

Any suggestions?

I think that there is one at Indiana University in Bloomington. Let me know if that is correct!
Cheers,
Sven

Jacob,
Hi! So, the key if you want to teach "grade school" is: which grades and what subjects?

For secondary (grade 7-12) you need a specific subject focus - to be a "highly qualified teacher" in your subject you need typically about 30 undergrad credits plus maybe 9 credits in a related subject, so with your history degree you could probably get certified as a middle or high school history or social studies teacher without going back to school. You would get paid better with a masters, of course, and you're going to need to find some way to get a "planned course of study" specifically in how to teach. I researched this last year and ended up finding an MA in Teaching (MAT) degree. You don't study any particular content area, you learn how to be a master teacher. You then put it to practice in your content area. I'm about half way through and LOVIN' IT.

For elementary (grade PK-6), you just need a bachelors and a "planned course of study". Again, an MAT might be a good option and there are tons of schools offering them around the country.

The other option for you might be teachforamerica - check out their website. It is kind of like the peace corps, except the teachers get trained in a teaching boot camp then get sent into the toughest schools on a 2 year contract. At the end you get to leave or sign up to become a full time teacher. No better training that some of the toughest schools in the country - AND you're doing GOOD WORK at the same time. I looked into it, but turns out I'm too OLD (!).

Anyway, the thing to do initially is check the requirements for certification in your state... the state department of ed will probably have something on their website explaining, and go with what you need for the subject area you want to teach. Right now most states are struggling for math and science teachers, and possibly english as a second language teachers.

Email me james (at) patsalides (dot) com if you'd like to discuss more. I'm half way through making this transition and would be happy to help... ;-)

Happy trails.

Peace, James.

Penn State offers graduate degrees in Forest Resources - includng something called "Forest Recreation". I was an accounting major there, but had a bunch of fraternity brothers in the School of Forest Resources.

FWIW here's a link:
Penn State School of Forest Resources

Good luck!

I'll check in to those thanks. Sorry I wasn't very clear when I typed that earlier. The only jobs I'm finding are teaching jobs, and I really do not want to teach. Indiana looks like an interesting program, I'm going to check it out. Also been looking at some natural resource degrees at University of Alaska Fairbanks.