Note: This program option is not currently accepting new students. For further information contact the Environmental Studies Department, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9086, 360-650-3284.
Huxley College of the Environment
Graduate Faculty
Bach, Andrew J., PhD, physical geography, geomorphology, soil development, landscape change.
Berardi, Gigi, PhD, agroecology and sustainable agriculture, food security, resilient food systems and international business sustainability, all-hazards planning.
Buckley, Patrick H., PhD, economic and development geography, quantitative methods, GIS, environmental issues in Japan and China, quality of life, trans-border environmental issues.
Darby, Kate J., PhD, Social and environmental justice, environmental justice pedagogy in higher education, sustainable food systems and urban socio-ecological systems.
Flower, Aquila, PhD, biogeography, climatology, forest ecology, long-term environmental change, dendrochronology, and GIS.
Hayes, Nini, Ed.S, Ed.D, Critical environmental education, social justice education, and critical teacher education.
Medler, Michael J., PhD, biogeography, GIS, remote sensing, forest fire and wilderness management.
Myers, O. Eugene, PhD, environmental education, conservation psychology, human ecology, environmental history and ethics.
Neff, Mark W., PhD, environmental governance and policy; science, technology, and society; anticipatory governance of science and technology; sustainability.
Paci-Green, Rebekah, PhD, natural hazards risk, social vulnerability, resilience, risk perception, disaster risk reduction, comprehensive school safety, disaster management policy.
Rossiter, David A., PhD, historical geography, settler colonialism, outdoor recreation, Canada/BC.
Stanger, Nicholas R., PhD, environmental education and exploration of the emotional, ecological, educational, indigenous, and complexity systems.
Program Advisor: Dr. O. Eugene Myers
All Huxley College of the Environment faculty can serve on Environmental Studies master’s project or thesis committees, even serving as committee chair.
Goals
This Residency program prepares environmental educators to play instructional and managerial roles in not-for-profit organizations rather than the formal classroom.
The philosophy of environmental education at Huxley College is that it is to be broad and inclusive. The goal of environmental education, in the words of the 1976 Belgrade Charter that saw the international spread of the profession, is “to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.” Today environmental education has diversified greatly, occurring in formal classrooms, school grounds, nature centers, outdoor and environmental education programs, government agency programs, mass- and social-media venues, and community-based programs in businesses, faith communities, international conservation, or environmental-social justice movements. Environmental education programming may include science, history and cultural or social studies, the arts or many other disciplines. The process may involve inquiry, social learning, or many other varieties of structured or emergent curriculum approaches. Environmental education focused on both the intrinsic development of the learner in their culture as it is about the human relationship to nature.
The Residency track involves a close collaboration between Huxley College and the North Cascades Institute (NCI). NCI awards a Certificate in Leadership and Nonprofit Administration for completion of the residency. Northwest Naturalist Certification is also offered. Students in this track produce a portfolio of projects stemming from coursework and the residency, including curriculum design, natural history, nonprofit organization, evaluation, and professional presentation; in addition they must pass a comprehensive exam. This program does not provide teacher certification. If desired, that must be pursued separately. All graduate students are expected to develop and implement creative projects that will aid their own practice, with the guidance and advice of the program advisor and other teachers.
Prerequisites
All applicants should have experience in the field of environmental education and a basic background in natural history. Each applicant’s background will be examined to determine if additional preparation is needed.
Application Information
Admit Quarter: This track admits students only in the summer.
Deadline: For priority consideration, applications should be received by February 1.
Supporting Materials:
- Graduate Record Exam or Miller Analogies Test and official transcript(s) and three letters of reference; applicants with advanced degrees are not required to submit test scores.
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