Master's in Environmental Education

Environmental Education Master's Overview

The Bard M.Ed. in Environmental Education program prepares educators to create an informed and engaged citizenry supporting progress towards a just, prosperous, and sustainable future. Through intensive academic training, real-world professional experience, and career development opportunities, this environmental education graduate program enables graduates to pursue successful, high-impact careers in private schools, NGOs, government land management agencies, private land conservation organizations, museums, environmental education centers, and consulting firms.

Our M.Ed. Takes You from Classroom to Impact in 9 Months

To mitigate the consequences of climate change, we must engage a rising generation now, which requires more than what typical conservation education offers. We need education for sustainable development, in particular. And we believe environmental education programs need to equip the next generation with the tools they need to deal with critical sustainability challenges—from climate to biodiversity loss, ocean pollution, and air toxics.

Bard's environmental education degree uniquely enables students to begin high-impact work after only nine months of study. Students spend an intensive two semesters at Bard, mastering the tools required to educate the next generation of environmental leaders. In June of the second year, they then spread out across the US and internationally, creating impact through a required, 4-6 month high-level professional Internship followed by an outcome-oriented Capstone Project that typically builds on the internship.

First Year: Academic Training in Natural Science Education

Students pursuing the M.Ed. take a carefully curated program that combines environmental education classes with graduate courses from the MS programs at the Center for Environmental Policy, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, and elective options from other Bard undergraduate and graduate programs, including the MBA in Sustainability. In addition to a core classroom curriculum, an emphasis on experiential learning takes students outside into the mountains to complete a hands-on January-term intensive course focused on place-based and outdoor education. Throughout, there is a focus on environmental education within the places where students are living, from urban parks, wetlands, and waterways, to rural farmlands and forests.

First-year courses cover several key topics:

Environmental Science of the Natural and Built Environment
Foundations of Environmental Education
Place-Based and Outdoor Education
Curriculum Development
Adolescent Identity, Culture, and Learning

Second Year: High-Impact Career Training

Beginning in June of the second year, students explore their individual career interests through a required 4-6 month, full-time professional internship, and by researching and writing a Capstone Project. Internship sites range from Australia to China, South Africa to Geneva, NYC to DC, and across the US. In the final semester, students complete a Master’s degree capstone project under the direction of a Bard faculty member, while attending capstone seminar classes online. Students gather at Bard for two, one-week residencies during this final term.

The two-year environmental education curriculum ensures that graduates develop broad and deep knowledge of environmental science and education pedagogy; a strong suite of analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills; tools for building education organizations; significant professional experience in their chosen field; and finally, specialized expertise on the particular topic of their research project. In short, Bard's environmental education program is designed to deliver true mastery over the student's area of focus, providing a strong foundation for career success.

Watch the recording from our webinar, Building a Career in Sustainability: Advice From Environmental Education Specialists:

Integrated, Interdisciplinary Curriculum

all of the environmental master's degrees at Bard feature a unique, modular core curriculum where students explore issues like air and atmosphere pollution, biodiversity loss, or ecosystem service provision simultaneously in their science, education, and policy courses. This unique structure creates a powerful dialogue across disciplines, always driving toward solutions. A traditional outdoor education degree cannot deliver this level of interdisciplinary focus across classes, as students typically do not take the same courses together. Bard's core curriculum supports faculty to coordinate closely across classes, allowing the program to complete the delivery of the foundational educational toolkit in nine months. This frees up the second year of study for the professional internship and capstone project.

1:1 Faculty Engagement

Unlike many other environmental education programs, Bard's M.Ed. program offers every student individualized engagement with expert faculty on student research, writing, and communication. Our small class size and dedicated graduate faculty provide students with unmatched access to their professors and mentorship opportunities.

High-level, Extended Professional Internships

All students getting their environmental education master's degree complete a 4-6 month, student-driven, full-time environmental education internship from June to January of the second year in the community (nationally or globally) of their choosing.

The internship is a major item on our graduates' resumes and supports the development of their career networks. Between 30% and 50% of internships turn directly into jobs. The internship typically forms the basis for the student's Master's Capstone Projects.

Bard helps students find internship opportunities with a variety of institutions, and is continuously expanding its list of internship sponsors. The internship allows students to follow their preferred areas of specialization locally, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad. The internship gives students an applied focus to their environmental education master's and an opportunity to learn in a professional setting the job-specific skills they will use upon graduation.

Community Engagement, Place-Based Education, Peace Corps Option

Community Engagement

Throughout their time in the program, M.Ed. students engage with local environmental organizations serving various communities in the Hudson Valley to learn about various forms of environmental education and outreach. Students also meet weekly with regional environmental education leaders to learn how they built their careers in the industry and gain insights into the field.

J-Term Immersive Field Course

In January of the first year, M.Ed. students spend two weeks doing day trips and overnight expeditions into the Taconic Mountains to gain field education experience.

Peace Corps Option

Bard also offers students the opportunity to combine their graduate work with Peace Corps service - click here to learn more.

Individualized Research Opportunities

At Bard, the Capstone Project provides the opportunity for students to develop true mastery in their chosen field of interest. Unlike at more traditional environmental education programs, where a capstone project is derivative of a faculty member's research interest, at Bard, students develop their own capstone topics, often focused on addressing an educational opportunity identified during the student's internship. In these cases, students devote an entire year to practical work in the area in which they are passionate: six months of hands-on experience as an environmental educator or similar, coupled with six months of academic analysis and reflection through their capstone work. This kind of mastery provides a strong foundation for career success. Each Master's Project is carefully mentored by two Bard CEP Faculty members, including a primary and secondary advisor.

Career Focus

Whether you're looking for a role at an environmental center, openings as a K-12 teacher, or simply jobs for people who love the outdoors, any career in environmental education can be distilled into a desire to "change minds" to educate the next generation of sustainability leaders. In a typical year, close to 40% of students that graduate from the Bard M.Ed. program are already employed, primarily as a result of job offers arising from the professional internship. On average, 75-85% of graduates find work in the environmental education sector within six months of graduation.

Career Development

Students are thinking about career outcomes from day one at Bard. While studying the various methods of teaching environmental education, students are also exposed to the work of a wide range of organizations (from local to global), so they can learn about the many career opportunities available in environmental education.

Career development exercises are also intentionally integrated into the environmental education curriculum and include developing the following skills:

Resume and cover letter writing
Conducting informational interviews
Blog and memo writing
Professional networking
Personal branding
The "art of the ask"
Presentations - building decks and giving effective public presentations

To learn about the diverse careers our graduates are pursuing, please review our Alumni Profiles.

Environmental Education Classes & Course Work

Students in our environmental education programs have a carefully curated course list that combines a core of environmental education pedagogy with environmental science and general teacher education through the MAT. Courses emphasize analytical frameworks and basic principles through examples and case studies. Joint class sessions, field trips, guest lectures, and conferences expose students to the critical issues and contemporary practices of environmental education. Throughout, there is a focus on engaging a wide diversity of audiences—especially due to misinformation and myths about climate change—with the core ideas of ecological literacy. The nine-month interdisciplinary curriculum, combined with the internship and the Capstone project in the second year, allow students to specialize in their chosen field of interest and launch a high-impact career where they can change minds.

Course Descriptions View Faculty Members

What is an M.Ed. in Environmental Education?

An M.Ed. in Environmental Education is a graduate program focused on teaching ecological literacy, sustainability, and community engagement. It prepares future educators and leaders to design and deliver environmental learning experiences in schools, outdoor settings, and community programs.

What do students study in an environmental education master’s program?

Students explore ecology, environmental science, learning theory, curriculum design, outdoor and place-based education, and environmental justice. Programs also incorporate hands-on teaching practice and work with schools, nature centers, and environmental organizations.

Who should consider a master’s in environmental education?

This degree is a strong fit for educators, outdoor leaders, environmental studies graduates, nonprofit professionals, or anyone passionate about teaching sustainability and fostering environmental awareness across diverse communities.

What careers are available with an M.Ed. in Environmental Education?

Graduates can become environmental educators, program directors, curriculum specialists, outdoor educators, park interpreters, community engagement coordinators, sustainability educators, or youth program leaders in schools, nature centers, museums, and environmental nonprofits.

Is an M.Ed. in Environmental Education worth it?

Yes. With growing demand for sustainability education and outdoor learning, the degree provides clear career pathways, practical teaching experience, and the skills to lead environmental programs that promote ecological awareness and community impact.

Is environmental education a growing career field?

Schools, nonprofits, parks, government agencies, and sustainability organizations are expanding environmental programs and hiring educators who can teach ecology, climate concepts, and stewardship. Bard’s M.Ed. helps students enter or advance in education with a strong grounding in environmental science, curriculum design, and community engagement.

Campus Visits

Whether you are hoping to better understand class structure, make connections with faculty and current students, or get a feel for campus culture - visiting campus is the best way to find out if Bard Center for Environmental Policy is the right fit for you.

When you register for a campus visit, our Bard Graduate Programs in Sustainability admissions staff work with you to customize an on-campus experience, which may include attending class, having lunch with current students, meetings with faculty, and taking a tour of campus.

Learn More and Pick a Date to Visit

Master's in Environmental Education

M.Ed. in Environmental Education

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$15,000 CEP Fellowship For All Students Admitted for fall 2026

Environmental Education Master's Overview

Our M.Ed. Takes You from Classroom to Impact in 9 Months

First Year: Academic Training in Natural Science Education

Watch the recording from our webinar, Building a Career in Sustainability: Advice From Environmental Education Specialists: