Outdoor Rec Business Administration

Degree Earned
Bachelor of Arts: Interdisciplinary Studies, concentration in outdoor recreation business administration

ORBA: A Great Education + The Great Outdoors
The University of Maine at Farmington has a long and strong connection to the active outdoor lifestyle and a particularly storied legacy in the ski and snowboard industries.

And our (perfect) region of Maine is renowned throughout the world as a destination spot for the great outdoors: skiing, hiking, camping, rafting, kayaking, snowmobiling, fishing, and more.

Over the past year, we have worked closely with our partners in recreation and tourism: Saddleback, Sugarloaf, and Sunday River ski resorts; Maine Huts & Trails; the Maine Office of Tourism; Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA); the Maine Woods Consortium; and others to develop an innovative new interdisciplinary recreation-related major: Outdoor Recreation Business Administration (ORBA).


Growing and Supporting One of Maine's Biggest Industries
Tourism is one of Maine's largest and most important industries. In fact, the State Planning Office reports that in 2006, tourism generated roughly $10 billion in sales of goods and services, 140,000 jobs, and $3 billion in earnings.

To help fuel this important industry, the University of Maine at Farmington is taking the lead and developing an innovative interdisciplinary program that will have a broad four-season focus and an emphasis on business, taking a decidedly hands-on approach to include internship opportunities that cater to the outdoor recreation segment of the tourism industry, particularly in western Maine.

Offered through the University's Business Economics Dept., the new interdisciplinary Outdoor Rec Business Administration program combines courses in Business plus courses from Geography and Recreation.


Internships and Professional Contacts: Learning By Doing
A particular strength of the new ORBA program is that it not only encourages you to participate in internship opportunities — it requires them. These internships will provide you with valuable outside-the-classroom, inside-the-industry learning experiences.

They will also help you gain a better understanding of just how this growth industry works, helping you to connect classroom theory to real-world practice while you make solid professional contacts and develop valuable, marketable skills.

And speaking of professional contacts, our partners in the outdoor recreation and tourism industry will be coming into your classrooms to speak with you about industry trends, issues, opportunities and more. Their goal is to help grow and develop the next generation of outdoor rec and tourism industry managers while also scouting for up-and-coming young talent. Our goal is to help you to connect with them and learn from their vast professional experience. It's win-win.


Partnering For a Four-Season Approach
We are actively collaborating with our partners Sugarloaf, Saddleback, Sunday River — resorts that also are taking a broad four-season approach — to develop academic offerings that will focus on hospitality, guest services, and other business aspects those resorts are famous for.

In addition, the University recently partnered with Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) to create a new postgraduate program, designed for students who want to combine CVA training and CVA's academics with college courses at Farmington.

We are also working closely with Maine Huts & Trails, the Maine Office of Tourism, CenTRO (the Maine Center for Tourism Research and Outreach), the Maine Woods Consortium and others to help grow and support outdoor recreation businesses that are not ski-related.


What Classes Might You Take?
Because Farmington is a liberal arts college, every student — in every major — will take courses in the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences.

In addition, you will also get to choose interesting classes specifically tailored to your interdisciplinary concentration in Outdoor Recreation Business Administration, such as:

  • Intro to Recreation and Tourism
  • Principles of Economics
  • Retailing Operations
  • Financial Management for Recreation and Tourism
  • Principles of Management Recreation emphasis
  • Principles of Marketing Recreation emphasis
  • Environmental and Resource Economics
  • Human Resource Development
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Nature and Society
  • Economic Geography
  • Analysis of Rural Landscapes
  • Land Use

Plus Recreation courses, such as:
  • Snow Sports Industry
  • River Industry
  • Camping and Hiking
  • Golf
  • Inland Fisheries
  • Adventure Education
  • Recreational Vehicles
  • Outdoor Rec for Special Groups

The Mountains & Lakes are an Extension of the Campus
Farmington is ideally located to help Maine's Tourism industry. We're situated at the gateway to word-class skiing and snowboarding, smack in the middle of some of the best hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking in the entire northeast. They're so close, we consider the spectacular mountains and lakes — and everything they offer — to be a natural extension of our campus.



It's All in Our Backyard

  • Sugarloaf Ski Resort (45 min)
  • Sunday River Ski Resort (1:15 hr)
  • Saddleback Ski Area (1:25 hr)
  • Maine Huts & Trails System (35 min)
  • The Forks, Kennebec River, Dead River (60 min)
  • Titcomb Mt. Ski Area (7 min)
  • Belgrade Lakes (20 min)
  • Appalachian Trail (45 min)
  • Mt. Blue State Park (45 min)
  • Bigelow Mountain (1:05 hr)
Contact us for Details
For additional information about Outdoor Recreation Business Administration at the University of Maine at Farmington, just contact the Office of Admission:

    Office of Admission
    University of Maine at Farmington
    246 Main Street
    Farmington, Maine 04938-1994
    tel 207-778-7050
    fax 207-778-8182
    TDD/TYY 207-778-7275
    umfadmit@maine.edu