Environmental Education, MS

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Required Courses

(39 credits)

EE 524 - Concepts in Environmental Education 3 credits
EE 525 - Special Methods in Environmental Education 3 credits
EE 526 - Trends in Environmental Education 2 credits
EE 527 - Place-Based Curriculum Development 3 credits
EE 528 - Environmental Issues 3 credits
EE 529 - Environmental Education Program Administration 3 credits
EE 592 - Leadership in Environmental Education: Program Development 1 credit (2 total credits required)
EE 593 - Practical Applications of Environmental Education 1 to 2 credits (2 credits total required)
EE 594 - Leadership in Environmental Education: Program Delivery 4 credits (4 credits total required)
EE 595 - Teaching in Environmental Education 4 credits
EE 507 - Selected Topics in Environmental Education 1 credit
ED 557A - Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 3 credits
ED 557B - Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 3 credits
BI 523 - Natural History of the Pacific Northwest 3 credits

Electives

A total of 54 credits are required for program completion. 39 credits are specified by course and a total of 15 credits are chosen from the list below. Based upon preparation and academic background, you will be required to complete at least half of these electives in biology (list A). Your planned program will indicate how many electives may be chosen out of each of the three lists below. If you are approved to complete a thesis/project it may be substituted for one of the elective courses.

A. Approved Biology Electives

These courses tend to be offered every other year. Normally 2-3 electives are offered every term.

BI 515 - Mammalogy 4 credits
BI 533 - Plant Systematics 4 credits
BI 534 - Plant Form and Function 5 credits
BI 538 - Conservation Biology 3 credits
BI 544 - Vascular Plant Identification and Field Botany 3 credits
BI 550 - Fish and Fisheries 4 credits
BI 554 - Plant Ecology 4 credits
BI 566 - Biology of Insects 3 credits
BI 570 - Herpetology 4 credits
BI 571 - Ornithology 4 credits
BI 575 - Aquatic Ecology 4 credits
BI 580 - Animal Behavior 4 credits

B. Approved Electives Outside Biology

COMM 548 - Mediation 4 credits
COMM 555 - Conflict Management 4 credits
ES 521 - Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development 4 credits
ES 533 - Soil Science 4 credits
ES 537 - Conservation in the United States 4 credits
ES 539 - Land Use Planning 4 credits
ES 551 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 5 credits
ES 551L - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Lab 0 credits
ES 575 - Environmental Modeling 4 credits
ES 579 - Biosphere, Ecology, and Global Environmental Change 4 credits
ES 580 - Fire Ecology 4 credits
ES 581 - Geomorphology 4 credits
ES 582 - Climatology 4 credits
ES 583 - Restoration Ecology 4 credits
OAL 570 - Environmental Physiology 3 credits
PE 548 - Leadership and Management 3 credits
PSY 538 - Group Dynamics 4 credits
SOAN 520 - Environmental Sociology 4 credits
SOAN 552 - Global Environmental Movements 4 credits

C. Other Electives with Advisor Approval

Program Completion Requirements:

1.

Completion of the required coursework (including four approved electives at the graduate level totaling 15 or more credits). Students must achieve a grade of B or better in all courses. SOU permits up to 15 credits of graduate-level courses (quarter hours or their equivalent) to be transferred into the program with advisor approval.

2.

Successful completion of the exit interviews regarding leadership and teaching in environmental education. The 30-40 minute interviews are conducted with two or more faculty members or instructors following the culminating field educational program delivered by the students (Fall in the Field) using the published scoring guides.

3.

All students must complete an oral examination which is attended by the student’s Evaluation Committee which consists of a minimum of three Graduate Faculty, at least two of which are from the Environmental Education faculty or the Biology program. An outside representative from SOU’s Graduate Faculty will also attend the Oral Examination. The role of the fourth member is to assure the student is treated fairly and that the standards of SOU are upheld. The oral examination typically takes one-and-a-half hours. It is the responsibility of the student to coordinate a time and place for the examination.

For those students completing the program with a thesis or project, the following applies. Students must apply for completion by thesis or project by the end of the second quarter of coursework at SOU with the Program Coordinator and have secured an advisor at the time of application. Students conducting research in the field of environmental education complete a thesis while those producing a product complete a project.

Program Options:

1.

While earning their Environmental Education Master’s degree, students can also earn an additional Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree with an Oregon Preliminary Teaching License at the Single Subject (Middle/High School) teaching level with endorsements in Integrated Science or Biology. It is also possible for students to earn a MAT and Oregon Preliminary Teaching License at the Multiple Subjects (Elementary School) level. Other licensure options and endorsements are available on a case-by-case basis.

2.

For those intending to work with a non-profit organization or initiate their own program, the Certificate in Nonprofit Management (CNPM) provides vital skills and experiences. The CNPM may be earned with only 24 credits in addition to those required by the Environmental Education master’s program. Refer to the Certificate in Nonprofit Management (CNPM) section of the catalog for a complete description of the program.