Master of Science in Environmental Education
Learn what you need to succeed.
Environmental Education – Master of Science
Environmental Education, MS
Offered as a Master of Science in Environmental Education
The North American Association for Environmental Educators accredited program provides a unique opportunity, as you will design an environmental education program from the ground up, to be implemented as your culminating experience – Fall in the Field. Based in the cohort model, our program prepares students for a wide range of teaching and leadership positions with nature centers, museums, schools, government agencies, and many others.
Redefining the Classroom
With the rich diversity of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion at our doorstep, learn how to take teaching outside and incorporate place-based lessons into your curriculum. Rooted both in the education and biology programs at SOU, the Environmental Education program brings the two worlds together to enable environmental concepts to be taught through a variety of methods.
Fall in the Field
Fall in the Field serves as the capstone project to the Master of Science in Environmental Education. Students in the program build this program from the ground up. You will gain hands-on experience as you work with your fellow students in the graduate program to plan, develop, and implement Fall in the Field. The program is two months of outdoor environmental educational programming delivered to local school groups in the Fall of each year. It consists of both overnight residential programs and day hikes within Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Courses
Several of the Environmental Education courses you take will have aspects geared towards preparing you for Fall in the Field. However, there is also so much more. For instance, in Special Methods in Environmental Education, EE 525, you will learn how to make curriculum and activities meet educational standards and be place-based. But, you will also learn interpretive techniques for when you are leading guided hikes and how to develop a captivating and informational interpretive sign.
The courses offered through the Environmental Education program are made to cater to a wide variety of needs for a wide variety of career paths. Our instructors understand that environmental education means many different things to different people, and strive to prepare all of our students for any profession in the field they might pursue.
Internships
As part of the Master of Science in Environmental Education program, you will learn from dynamic professionals in the field through one or more internships with local organizations and government agencies while building your resume. Graduate students are required to complete 60 hours of internship, with a diverse range of opportunities to choose from.
These internships provide an avenue to branch out and develop new skills while providing a service to the community. Many local environmental education providers are eager to work with our students, providing experiences that meet individual needs. Whether you want more experience as a teacher or grant writer, in marketing or event planning, or all of them at once, there is an internship out there for you.
Additional Options
- Master of Arts in Teaching (with licensure option)
- Certificate in Nonprofit Management
- Project or Thesis
Please contact us for more information about how each of these might affect admission and program requirements.
Degree Completion
Capstone
Every student in the Environmental Education program is an active participant of the planning process and implementation of Fall in the Field. This 8-week environmental education program takes place every fall with day programs in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and overnight programs in Southern Oregon. Environmental Education students plan this program from the ground up, utilizing the wealth of experience of the professors and the institutional knowledge of previous cohorts.
Completion Options
Before graduating, every student will complete an exit interview reviewing their leadership, teaching skills and accomplishments as observed through the program and Fall in the Field. Additionally, each student will choose from one of three completion options: exam, project, and thesis, selected at the beginning of the program. The exam is presented orally by a panel of professors from the Environmental Education and Biology programs, and one professor from another program such as physics or business. If a student chooses to do a project or thesis, instead of receiving an examination from the panel of professors, they will have to defend their final product.
Career Path
Become a Professional
Career opportunities for an Environmental Science degree:
- Classroom teacher (K-12)
- Museum Education Director
- Nature Center Director
- PhD with an Academic Career
- Collegiate Professor
- Conservation Biologist
- Field Biologist
- Park Interpreter
- Director of Outreach for Non-profit
- Executive Director of Environmental Program
- Curriculum Development Specialist
- Environmental Education Specialist
- Teen Program Supervisor
- Guide Service
- Naturalist
- Cruise Ship Naturalist
Salary Range
$35,000 – $125,000
*Based on National Average
Future Success
Environmental Education Alumni
Elizabeth Wasserman - 2002
Environmental Education, MS
Program Analyst for Youth Education and Science with USGS
Libby VanWyhe - 2012
Environmental Education, MS
Nature Center Manager at North Mountain Park, Ashland
Nationally Accredited Graduate Program
by the North American Association for Environmental Education
Contact Environmental Education
Environmental Education Program
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6876
seec@sou.edu
– Questions About Environmental Education? –