A study was undertaken to obtain selected information on outdoor education students of three academic departments (Physical Education and Recreology Departments, University of Ottawa; School of Physical and Health Education, University of Toronto) in Canadian universities, to determine what differences there might be between those who aspire to a career in outdoor education and other students in the same departments. Two questionnaires, one in 1980 and one in 1981, were administered to all third and fourth year students (N=284) of the departments to identify the number and proportion of students motivated towards a career in outdoor education, to determine if outdoor education students had different academic performances than others in the same department, and to provide data on intensive participation in outdoor recreation activities, motivations for such participation, and student motives for aspiring to careers in outdoor education. Results indicated: a large proportion of students in departments with such courses aspired to careers in outdoor education; students appeared to be equal in academic achievement to their peers in the same department, as measured by grade average; outdoor education students engaged substantially more in outdoor recreation activities than did other students; and reasons for engaging in those activities were the same for outdoor education students as for their peers. (CM)