Environmental Education Graduate Level Certificate

The graduate certificate in Environmental Education is a one-year AmeriCorps service opportunity.

Graduate student AmeriCorps members will earn 21 University of Idaho graduate credits, as well as a certificate in environmental education. Approximately one-third of the work will take place at Idaho’s only residential outdoor science school, one-third in various schools around the state, and one-third at public agencies and nonprofit organizations across Idaho. The program generally begins on or about August 15 each year and concludes the following August 31.

Your 12 months of service will consist of two distinct phases.

Phase 1: MOSS Residential and Outreach Program | August - May
MOSS is a three to 10-day residential education program that hosts 5th - 12th grade students from across Idaho at the University of Idaho McCall Field Campus. As a student in this program, you will lead teams of six to 10 students through the forests and along the streams of the Salmon River Mountains as they use science to discover and learn about the world around us. You will also take graduate level courses in community ecology, teaching methods, and outdoor leadership. Students will take these courses for undergraduate or graduate credit and earn a professional certificate in environmental education.

The program requires both winter residential and spring outreach programs in McCall. Outreach programs take MOSS on the road by visiting schools across the state of Idaho. You will implement a catalog of environmental education programs both in classroom and field settings. Your professional training will continue with additional short courses, conferences and workshops.

Phase 2: Summer Placement Program | June - August
Each student will spend the summer at various placement sites across the state of Idaho including public natural resource agencies and nonprofit organizations who are looking for skilled educators, interpreters and natural resource technicians. During this segment, you will apply the skills and knowledge gained during the intense training and hands-on application of the prior segment to help environmental organizations statewide fulfill their missions.

Find more information on the application process, costs and course information through the College of Natural Resources' McCall Outdoor Science School.