Environmental Education
Masters Degree Program
The mission of the Environmental Education program is to prepare outstanding environmental educators. The program provides students with a broad scientific foundation for understanding the environment and environmental issues, and the skills to effectively communicate this knowledge to a wide variety of audiences.
The Environmental Education degree takes 1.5 to 2 years to complete. Students participate in field-oriented courses that broaden their scientific understanding of the environment. These courses involve students in detailed study of the scientific and social aspects of environmental issues, and create opportunities for them to become active in the problem-solving process. Courses and internships offer students opportunities to gain skills and experience needed to become effective environmental educators and advocates.
The program’s flexibility serves diverse student interests and career goals. Students, together with their advisor, tailor the program to meet their needs by selecting courses and developing internship experiences that promote their career objectives. The program attracts students from throughout the United States with diverse interests in education, natural and social sciences, business, law, journalism, and the arts. Classes are typically attended not only by degree candidates, but by professional educators and natural resource professionals who are strengthening their skills and qualifications through higher education.
We seek to help students obtain the leadership skills that will guide others in developing an environmental ethic. Only through environmental education and advocacy can we ensure that future generations will inherit a legacy of healthy ecosystems, unspoiled wilderness, and natural areas rich in biodiversity. We also seek to prepare students for the responsibility of managing resources sustainably by offering opportunities for them to develop the skills, and hopefully the wisdom necessary for professional positions in resource management, which many of our graduates hold.
Program Procedures
EE Advisor
Shortly after beginning the Master’s Degree Program in Environmental Education, you will need to secure an advisor. Begin by meeting with Dr. Stewart Janes in Science 219 (552-6797), Dr. Michael Parker in Science 207 (552-6796), or Dr. Steven Jessup in Science 206 (552-6804).
Planned Program
Submit a planned program in the first quarter of graduate work. The form is available in the School of Sciences office or as a Word document from SEEC. It will require the signatures of your advisor, the Biology Department Chair, and the Dean of Sciences.
Notes:
- A maximum of 6-9 credits of Bi 503 (Thesis) or Bi 501 (Research/Project) may be taken by those students completing the thesis/project option.
- No more than 21 hours of open-numbered courses may be included in the 45-hour program. An open-numbered course is one with a zero (0) middle digit such as Bi 507. No more than nine practicum (Bi 509) credit hours may be included.
- Normally, all courses must be no more than seven years old at the time of completion of the degree. With special approval of your advisor and the Dean of Sciences, up to 12 hours of courses which are more than seven years old but less than ten years old may be included if they are updated.
- Up to 15 hours of transfer work may be included if approved by the advisor and the Dean of Sciences. The last nine hours of course work must be taken in residence.
- Credit by examination, in-service education, and correspondence study may not be used in the Master’s Degree Program.
- Extension credit is acceptable only if offered by an OSSHE institution and approved by your advisor and Dean of Sciences.
- A GPA of 3.00 or higher must be maintained in the required core, in biology electives and in the overall program.
- You must have the approval of your advisor before making changes to your program.
Areas of Interest
Upon graduating from this program, students are expected to have a firm understanding of regional natural history, and of how to implement environmental education either to adults or children. We realize that students will have varied specific interests and our program's flexiblility allows one to cater their classes towards what might interest them. For students with an interest in plants, we offer a Certificate of Botany, which provides a sturdy foundation of modern plant sciences. This track is often used by students whose goal is to enter into agricultural research, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, and science education. People have also had emphases in Aquatic Ecology, Ornithology, Classroom Teaching, and Environmental Advocacy.
Thesis/Project/Examination Options
Students are encouraged to complete either a thesis or a project for the Master’s Degree in Environmental Education. However, students may choose to complete the program by taking an examination. All students will need to participate in a mid-program evaluation with your committee. The committee consists of three professors, at least two of whom must be selected from the Biology Department. The mid-program evaluation must be conducted after completion of 18 credit hours but before completion of 24 credit hours.
Project and Thesis
A project is similar in many ways to the thesis option but the project includes a tangible product. Successful projects have included:
- Creation of interpretive signage for the Forest Service ( Gifford Pinchot National Forest )
- Planning for the creation of the Siskiyou Environmental Education Center
- Development of study kits for distribution to regional elementary schools (on both wetlands and bats)
- Creation of environmental education curricula (Yreka High School, High Desert Museum)
- Development of a Conservation Biology Curriculum Kit for Secondary Teachers
- Site-Specific Songbird Curriculum for North Mountain Park in Ashland , Oregon
- What’s All the Buzz About? An Educational Videotape About the Impact of Honeybees on the Natural World
Some examples of Thesis written in the program are:
- Mycorrhizal fungi associated with the clustered lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium fasciculatum)
- A preliminary survey of the vegetation of the Siletz River Watershed, Lincoln County , Oregon : An ethnobotanical perspective
- Snag Selection by woodpeckers (Family Picidae) in the Hamilton Creek Watershed
- Influences of feeding stations on Scrub Jay kleptoparasitism at Acorn Woodpecker granaries
- The Biodiversity of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi associated with Quercus Garryana
- Environmental and habitat variables affecting five rare plant taxa in serpentine fens of the Klamath Mountains
Examination
Some students may choose to test out of the program instead of completing a thesis or project. There is a four hour written examination composed by the committee covering any material from the students course work.
Practical and Oral Examinations
All students from all three program options will complete a practical examination to test your knowledge of natural history. The exam will include approximately 50 specimens. You will identify each specimen and offer one relevant piece of information you, as an environmental educator, might offer to a group of students. A passing score of 80% or higher is required for the practical examination. If necessary, you may retake the practical examination a second time. Copies of the species lists are available in the SEEC Office.
An oral examination will be held after all other graduation requirements are met. The exam itself lasts about one and one half hours during which questions related to the thesis or project or any other area of study will be asked (students completing the examination option will be examined on course work). An additional professor from the Graduate Council is present during the exam to ensure that the exam meets the standards of the university.
