Adventure Performance and Coaching

Adventure performance and coaching sits at the intersection of outdoor education, human performance science, and coaching practice. It is a discipline concerned with how people develop their capabilities in challenging natural environments, how instructors and coaches can best support that development, and what the psychological and physical demands of adventure activities require. The outdoor and adventure sector is a significant employer in the UK, particularly in Scotland, where the landscape provides an unparalleled environment for a huge range of activities from mountaineering and kayaking to mountain biking and sea kayaking.

This part-time programme at the University of the Highlands and Islands is rooted in the landscapes and outdoor culture of its region, and allows you to study at a pace that fits around other commitments, whether that is existing work in the outdoor sector or personal commitments. You will develop your understanding of human performance in outdoor contexts, the principles of effective coaching, the design and delivery of outdoor learning experiences, and the practical skills that adventure leaders and coaches require. The Highlands and Islands setting means your learning is directly connected to the environments and communities where adventure performance and coaching actually happen.

Graduates of adventure performance and coaching programmes go on to careers as outdoor education instructors, adventure coaches, youth development workers, physical education teachers (with further training), sport development officers, and managers of outdoor centres and adventure tourism businesses. The coaching knowledge transfers well into other sport and coaching contexts, and many graduates combine outdoor work with other forms of teaching or coaching. The growing recognition of outdoor learning as an educational tool has also created roles in school-based outdoor provision and in health and wellbeing programmes that use outdoor activity as an intervention.

Postgraduate study in outdoor education, coaching science, or sport and exercise science is available for those who want to specialise or move into research.