Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.15
Liaison Rebecca Walker
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Southern Oregon University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Roxane Beigel-Coryell
Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator
Facilities Management & Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
Master in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a focus on Environmental Studies)

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

The Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies is designed to combine the theory and practice of several strands or disciplines of inquiry originating in a variety of other academic areas, such as the social sciences, sciences, the humanities, education and business. These degrees provide an opportunity for substantial academic preparation and advanced mastery in interrelated areas of study that have the power to stimulate multidimensional views of complex knowledge. Students in these graduate degrees build multifaceted competencies, creative practices, and broadminded perspectives that may reach across a select range of discourses and experience. The multidisciplinary structure of these programs provides a flexible curriculum of coursework suitable to the stimulation of participants' continued intellectual growth, personal satisfaction, and career advancement in evolving fields relevant to the challenges of life, work, and learning in diverse settings of the twenty-first century.


The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
M.S. in Environmental Education

A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):

Graduates will understand the use of natural resources, including
-The relevant ecology. Only an understanding of the ecology behind an issue can permit an objective evaluation of the issue.
-Various methods of resource extraction. An environmental educator needs to understand various management techniques and their alternatives.
-The environmental impacts related to each of the extraction methods.
-Management practices for sustained use.
Graduates will be knowledgeable about the field of environmental education, including
-awareness of Environmental Education professional organizations and their journals
current trends in the field
-the history of Environmental Education
Graduates will have a variety of skills useful for teaching environmental education, including
-Developing age-appropriate activities
-Developing a place-based curriculum
-Designing a guided walk
-Developing interpretive signage
-Assess EE programs using a variety of informal and formal techniques
-Be knowledgeable of a variety of EE programs such as Project Wild, Project Wet and Project Learning Tree
-Write successful grant proposals
Be knowledgeable on state and national teaching standards in science and other areas related to environmental education including Social Science and Mathematics and use these when designing curriculum.

The Environmental Education graduate students design and deliver the Fall in the Field program as their culminating, capstone experience. The program is redesigned annually by each new cohort of students. The Fall in the Field program includes both a residential program at our field station, Deer Creek Center for Field Research and Education, and a non-residential program at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The Fall in the Field programs explore the natural history and ecology of the region through hands-on experiences and are aligned to state education standards.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
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Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
No

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
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Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.