Tourism and Outdoor Leadership (TOL)

News: See why Outside magazine named Bend the Best Town in the Northwest.

More news: The Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Tourism (ORLT) program is now known as the Tourism and Outdoor Leadership (TOL) program.

The mission of the Tourism and Outdoor Leadership (TOL) program is to help students, practitioners, and others excel in the fields of tourism, commercial recreation, and outdoor education. We will succeed through instilling in our students the skills, ethics, creativity, and critical thinking needed to prosper in a competitive environment.

Your OSU-Cascades Degree Is Naturally Better

The TOL program is unique. We developed this program to provide the business, communication, and other skills necessary for success in the tourism and outdoor leadership sectors. Here are some reasons why the TOL degree is right for you: Skiing the slopes of a frosty blue-white mountain.

We feature small class sizes - our average of 10 students per class provides a much better learning environment than class sizes of 100+ often found at other universities.
The travel and tourism industry is expected to grow 3.8% per year between 2004 and 2013 - which means more job opportunities in tourism than in other industries.
In partnership with COCC, we offer a great education at lower cost than other 4-year programs.
As a branch campus of Oregon State University, we offer the benefits of being at a small campus while being part of one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the West.
We are situated in a great location - Bend, Oregon.

The first two years of the program are primarily completed at Central Oregon Community College (COCC). The COCC program provides you with a great core education, an ideal transition to OSU-Cascades, and at lower cost than other universities. COCC and OSU-Cascades share a 200-acre campus on Bend's Ponderosa-laden westside. Your first two years in the program emphasize:

Breadth of knowledge courses
Introductory business and communication skills
Experiential education and leadership skills

Your final two years feature OSU-Cascade courses addressing:

Advanced business training.
Recreation and tourism management and policy.
Specialty area theory and practice, such as tourism marketing and e-commerce.

A vital feature of this program is your internship, which you spend working for a tourism company or agency. The internship offers you many advantages, including:

Giving you valuable work experience.
Providing inspiration for choosing a post-graduation job.
Enhancing your qualifications.

Each TOL student does one of the following three options:

Tourism and Commercial Recreation Management (TCRM)
International Ecotourism (IE)
Outdoor and Experiential Education (OEE)

View the academics page for more information on TOL options, courses, and minor.

Our Extended Classroom Is Some of Mother Nature's Best Work

Bend, Oregon, is the perfect home for a program in outdoor recreation and tourism. There is no better place to live and learn, nestled beneath the spectacular snowcapped Cascade Mountains and surrounded by world-renowned, year-round recreation and tourism opportunities. It is not the rainy Oregon, but a dry and sunny Oregon that you will live in and love. You are minutes from:

Downhill skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor.
Backcountry and cross-country skiing at an extensive sno-park system.
Rock climbing at world famous Smith Rock State Park.
Hiking hundreds of miles of wilderness trails.
Mountain biking and road biking that is rated as some of the best in the nation.
Fly-fishing on some of the most pristine rivers in the lower 48.
Kayaking and white-water rafting on world class rivers.
Cultural and art experiences at local galleries, theaters, museums, and events.

This abundant natural beauty supports numerous local tourism businesses on public, private, and Native American lands. Just think of us as Oregon's Playground.

Businesses Want YOU!

Many jobs available in the outdoor recreation and tourism offer excellent career paths. (View our Community Partners page.) As you prepare yourself for these opportunities, history has shown that education is one of your best investments.

Dennis Oliphant is president of Sun Country Tours - a prosperous white water rafting company. When asked about the TOL program, Dennis remarked, "I think it's great. The more people are prepared to work in the guest services and tourism industry, the better."

Rob Macgowan, director of recreation for Sunriver Resort, agreed, "Having some of the individuals here who are home based and familiar with the philosophy and culture of Bend and Sunriver would flow into our program very nicely. It's a nice fit."

Joining the TOL Program - New and Transfer Students

The TOL program is suited to all types of students:

Traditional students who are completing high school.
Transfer students from other college or university programs, including COCC and OSU-Corvallis.
Students who already have completed a bachelor's and want to do a "post-bac" degree. It is also possible to do a master's or Ph.D. with a tourism focus, but that requires coursework in Corvallis (not just in Bend).
Non-students who want to take specific classes to improve their skills or for general interest (see below).

If you're already doing a different major at OSU, you can do a TOL minor.

Next Steps

Ready to complete an application to OSU-Cascades? We accept admissions on-line or via mail.

Would you like us to mail you a brochure or would you like to come for a tour? Email us your request or call (541) 322-3100.

Are you interested in a particular topic or wish to improve your skills in a particular area, such as tourism marketing or e-commerce? You can take TOL classes as a non-degree seeking student. Complete this brief application, pay a $25 application fee, and you're ready to register for OSU-Cascades courses.