Certificate in Environmental and Sustainability Education

Introduction

The challenges our planet faces are monumental. In order to overcome these hurdles and champion a healthier and cleaner future, educators must be at the forefront of informing the next generation of environmental stewards. Our Certificate in Environmental and Sustainability Education will help you better understand the human relationship with the natural world that affect the quality of life for all species. Weave ecological science with an examination of how cultural, political, and economic activity over time has influenced human regard for the natural world and shaped our treatment of the environment.

This certificate is offered by AU Seattle

Program Overview

If you are a Washington state teacher committed to leading sustainable change in the classroom and in your community, a Certificate in Environmental and Sustainability Education will support your goals. Approved by the Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB) in 2009, the ESE endorsement coursework consists of three main areas of professional competence:  Content Knowledge, Instructional Methodology, and Professional Contributions, together covering 32 individual competencies. The Antioch University Seattle ESE endorsement coursework broadly covers ecological science and all the social dimensions of sustainability and meets the requirements of Washington state Professional Educators Standards Board.

You have the flexibility to create personally meaningful and relevant paths of learning toward the endorsement, with emphasis on local communities and integration of traditional and indigenous knowledge and concern for the ethics of eco-justice.

There are two pathways to earn this endorsement. Apply for the certificate program, which will enable you to be eligible for financial aid. Or simply take the required courses for the endorsement. In either case, students who successfully complete the course sequence will be recommended for the endorsement.

Degree Requirements

Requirements

• Typically, 2-4 Quarters full time; 5 Quarters part-time
• Completion of 20 total credits
• Completion of variable number of credits depending upon candidate’s experience and professional accomplishments if endorsement is done on its own. Documentation of experience and accomplishments may substitute for coursework.
• Completion of capstone project and competency portfolio in content knowledge, instructional methodology, and professional contributions

Courses

• Introduction to Ecological Perspectives in Environmental and Sustainability Education
• Introduction to Cultural, Social and Economic Perspectives in Environmental and Sustainability Education
• Contemporary Issues in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Ecological Dimensions
• Contemporary Issues in Environmental and Sustainability Education: Cultural, Social and Economic Dimension
• Identifying, Investigating, and Evaluating Current Issues in Sustainability and the Environment
• Policy-making, Engagement, and Action in Sustainability and the Environment
• Professional Development and Contributions in Environmental and Sustainability Education
• For detailed curriculum, degree requirements, and course descriptions, please visit the AUS catalog.

Career Outlook

Students who complete this program can find careers as a:

• Public elementary, middle, or high school endorsed ESE teacher
• Independent elementary, middle, or high school endorsed ESE teacher
• Informal ESE educator, in non-school settings such as non-profit organization, arts or cultural institution, government or tribal agency
• Educational (ESE) program developer or coordinator
• Educational (ESE) curriculum lead, supervisor, or specialist
• Educational (ESE) research specialist
• Educational (ESE) policy specialist
• Educational (ESE) consultant