To enter the program, applicants need at least 20 quarter credits (13 semester credits) in the natural sciences, as approved by the Director of the Environmental Education program. This ensures students are prepared to undertake graduate level biology courses and succeed. Typically pre-requisite course work includes a year of introductory biology and two additional courses such as ecology, plant, or animal natural history courses. We recommend that students begin the program with the second summer Session, taking ED 557 and EE 528. This permits successful completion of the program at the end of fall term the following academic year. However, it is possible to enter the program at other points. The curriculum consists of 52 graduate credits, 34 of which are core credits, distributed as follows:
Environmental Education Core Curriculum
Environmental Education Courses:
EE 507 Selected Topics in Environmental Education (1 credit)
Seminar explores current topics in EE. Presented at Deer Creek Center, and offered in conjunction with EE 594 (Leadership in Environmental Education) and EE 595 (Teaching in Environmental Education).
EE 524 Concepts in Environmental Education (3 credits)
The field is explored from its beginnings to the present. The course considers the diversity of goals and practices in environmental education including place-based education. Students will visit, research, and evaluate EE programs and curricula including both local and national programs. Field trips to local programs.
EE 525 Special Methods in Environmental Education (2 credits)
Designed to compliment ED 557 (Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment), this course considers current educational methods for the classroom and adapts them for environmental educators in diverse settings, especially the field. Additional topics include the creation of field-based activities and interpretive signage. Co-requisite: ED 557 (Fall offering)
EE 526 Trends in Environmental Education (2 credits)
Focuses on environmental education as a profession. Current literature is analyzed to evaluate trends with the field. The course focuses on how professional environmental educators contribute to the development of the field, including research and publications.
EE 527 Place-based Curriculum Development (3 credits)
This field course studies the biological and physical environment at Deer Creek Center or another site in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. Students investigate patterns of natural resource use by the community, and generate a place-based curriculum for implementation at the field station. Overnight field trips required.
EE 528 Environmental Issues (4 credits)
Relevant environmental issues important to today’s environmental educators will be investigated. The course prepares environmental educators to address a wide range of local, regional, and global issues facing society. Areas of study include the loss of biodiversity and strategies for preservation and recovery of threatened species, sustainable management of natural resources, and global issues affecting the welfare of the human population and the biosphere.
EE 593 Practical Applications of Environmental Education (1-2 credits; two courses are required for the program)
Internship focuses on using the field as a classroom. Students work closely with environmental educators in either a non-profit organization or local, state, or federal government agency to develop and present activities and curricula.
EE 594 Leadership in Environmental Education (1-4 credits)
Students manage an educational program at Deer Creek Center. Includes marketing, communication with participants, coordinating and scheduling programs, and developing resources for future classes. Participation at Deer Creek Center requires part-time residence at the field station. Pre-requisites: EE 525, EE 527.
EE 595 Teaching in Environmental Education (1-4 credits)
Students present and assess an educational program at Deer Creek Center involving a variety of audiences. Teaching will be supervised by qualified faculty members from Southern Oregon University. Participation at Deer Creek Center requires part-time residence at the field station. Pre-requisites: EE 525, EE 527.
Education Courses:
ED 557 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment I (3 credits)
ED 557 Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment II (3 credits)
Studies classroom teaching processes to help the beginning teacher develop a repertoire of strategies for instruction planning and assessment in diverse elementary, middle, and secondary settings. Emphasizes effective strategies for standards-based education and the implementation of the Oregon Education Act for the Twenty-First Century. Addresses issues related to exceptionality, including mainstreaming and inclusion. Explores material related to the characteristics and needs of at-risk youth and considers how schools can respond to these needs.
ED 562 Human Development, Cognition and Learning (3 credits)
Facilitates an understanding of human development from conception to age twenty-one. Includes learning theories and language; cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children; and neurological research. Makes connections between research and learning theories and experiences in a child’s school life to build stronger bonds between teaching and learning. Includes a practicum in which teacher education students develop effective ways of addressing learning differences and gain a better understanding of children with unique needs. (Environmental Education graduate students do not participate in the practicum.)
Program Additions
Students in the program may wish to pursue an option area to broaden their range of skills and prepare for a particular career within the field environmental education.
Non-Profit Management Option Summary Sheet (pdf)
Potential Schedule for EE students:
Requirements for Program Completion:
Course work
Completion of the required course work (including four approved graduate science courses and the one non-science elective) with a grade of “B” or higher in all courses. SOU permits up to 15 credits of graduate level courses to be transferred into the program with advisor approval.
Written Examination
The written examination consists of a four-hour written test composed of questions submitted by the student’s Evaluation Committee. The committee consists of three faculty members, two of which must be from the Department of Biology. The written exam is typically scheduled for the Thursday prior to the last week of classes in the student’s final term.
Or...
Thesis or Project
A select few students may complete the program with a thesis or project. A student must apply for this completion option by the end of the second quarter of course work at SOU. An advisor must be secured before you apply for this option. Students conducting research in the field of Environmental Education complete a thesis while those producing a product should complete a project. The thesis or project substitutes for one of the science electives, and the student does not take the written examination.
Oral Examination
The oral exam follows the written exam and is attended by the student’s Evaluation Committee and a Graduate Council representative. The role of the Graduate Council representative is to assure the student is treated fairly and that the standards of SOU are upheld. The oral exam typically lasts one-and-a-half to two hours and is scheduled between Thursday of the last week of classes and the end of Finals week in the student’s final quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate a time and place for the oral examination.
Field Practical
The Field Practical involves a single half-hour impromptu interpretation/lesson on one of three pre-announced routes, delivered to the Evaluation Committee. The actual site will be chosen by the Evaluation Committee, and the student will not be informed of the choice until the time of departure from SOU. The potential sites will be posted at least one year prior to the practical.
