Certificate Program

Graduate Level Certificate in Environmental Education

The McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) certificate program is an eleven-month 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-half of the work will take place at Idaho’s only residential outdoor science school, one-quarter in various schools around the state, and one-quarter at public agencies and nonprofit organizations across Idaho. The program generally begins on or about August 15 each year and concludes the following July 31. 

Your 11 months of service will consist of two distinct phases.

Phase 1: MOSS Residential and Outreach Program | August - May
MOSS is a 3-5 day residential education program that hosts K-12 grade students from across Idaho at the University of Idaho McCall Field Campus. As a student in this program, you will lead teams of 6-10 students through the forests and along the streams of the Salmon River Mountains as they harness the power of science to unlock the mysteries of 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.

Your winter and spring will continue in McCall with both winter residential and spring outreach programs. 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.

Certificate courses include:

• Community Ecology for Environmental Educators (3 cr.)
• Field Science Teaching (2 cr.)
• Place-based Environmental Education (3 cr.)
• Leadership for Environmental Educators (2 cr.)
• Conservation Leadership (3 cr.)
• Ecological Inquiry (2 cr.)
• Environmental Education Teaching Practicum I, II, III (2 cr. ea.)

Phase 2: Summer Placement Program | June - July
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.