Educating for Sustainability Concentration

Whether you teach kindergarten or high-school English, work in a farm-to-school program or an environmental education center, this program can give you the skills and credentials to be a leader in sustainability education. Through a mix of field, classroom and online experiences, you have a chance to connect with educators from around the country and the globe who are making sustainability the core focus of their teaching and professional lives.

This MEd concentration focuses on the interdependence of environment, economy and equity (the three Es of Educating for Sustainability) and how we can incorporate sustainability at any grade level and in every subject area. It is the first MEd program in the U.S. linking education and sustainability. As educators, we have the opportunity to model sustainable practices, to open our students' minds to the possibilities of a sustainable future and to help guide them to be responsible citizens for change in their communities.

Listen to Ex Ed Alum, Mary
Magnusson, describe the Experienced Educators
program and its impact on her
teaching. (3:36)

Educators are agents for change, and change is needed now. What is required to achieve sustainability is a paradigm shift, one that can be affected through education. EFS is about helping teach people how to meet their needs without compromising future generations.

Student Reflections on the EFS Program

Concentration Goals

Graduates of the Educating for Sustainability program have the capacity to:

Help move their schools toward sustainability.
Use U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development Guidelines.
Develop holistic integrated curriculum.
Understand advocacy and leading a project towards sustainability.
Incorporate EFS themes into teaching and classroom practice.
Foster improvement in sustainability practices in schools or organizations.
Integrate EFS curricula into existing learning standards.
Connect professionally to the national and international EFS arena.
Help others understand sustainability across a variety of contexts.

Program Delivery

Outstanding faculty from Environmental Studies, Education, and Organization & Management
Start in January or July
Five-semester, 33-credit program
Two weeks of face-to-face and field courses in the summers
Online classes in the fall and spring
Three semesters of practicum work at your school or workplace
All classes are 3 credits

Course Sequence for January Start

Spring (online)
Integrating the Three E’s (Environment, Economy and Equity)
Practicum

Summer (face-to-face)
Principles of Sustainability
Childhood and Nature
History and Practice of EFS

Fall (online)
Curriculum Design for EFS
Practicum

Spring (online)
Connecting Communities
Practicum

Summer (face-to-face)
Real-World Sustainabiliy
Sustainable Leadership

Course Sequence for July Start

Summer (face-to-face)
Principles of Sustainability
Childhood and Nature
History and Practice of EFS

Fall (online)
Curriculum Design for EFS
Practicum

Spring (online)
Connecting Communities
Practicum

Summer (face-to-face)
Real-World Sustainabiliy
Sustainable Leadership

Spring (online)
Integrating the Three E’s (Environment, Economy and Equity)
Practicum

Last Updated: 1/10/12