Have you ever wondered how we can empower current and future generations to care for our planet? Could Environmental Education be one piece to this complex puzzle?
While the concept of a career in environmental education could seem ambiguous to some, the flexibility of the field allows for individuals to pursue a variety of different high-impact careers. At first, you may envision someone teaching a class outdoors to a group of young kids, but diving further into the field, you’ll find roles that include educating policy professionals on climate mitigation, building diverse curriculum, leading NGOs, directing foundations, and more.
What’s the big deal about Environmental Education?
Environmental Education is more than teaching kids how to identify plants. It’s about expanding access to local environmental knowledge, increasing awareness of environmental justice issues, providing equitable access to the outdoors, using nature as our inspiration, uplifting the voices of those who have a wealth of environmental knowledge, such as those indigenous to the land, and bringing awareness to the climate crisis as well as the mitigation strategies to battle it. An article by The National Environmental Education Foundation titled EE Matters: The Benefits of Environmental Education states that Environmental Education can also improve academic performance, increase student engagement, and create a deeper sense of community and belonging. So, Environmental Education not only teaches about our environment, but also assists in other subject areas as well. It is no exaggeration to say that Environmental Education is a crucial piece of the puzzle of fighting climate change. Without it, environmental research would live in silos and go unnoticed, communication about our natural surroundings would be nonexistent, and future generations would be deprived of a sense of belonging without a connection to the natural world. Luckily, that is not a world we need to live in – thanks to Environmental Educators.
Becoming a piece of the puzzle
Being able to effectively teach others about our environment first entails becoming educated about the natural, social, and economic pieces to the puzzle. Bard College’s career focused M.Ed. in Environmental Education program accomplishes this by bringing students into the fields that empower others to protect our environment through a combination of academic training and real world experiences. This hands-on approach allows our students to begin their careers in Environmental Education before they walk across the stage at graduation.
Frequent career paths that Bard’s M.Ed. students take are within the private, public, government, and NGO sectors, where they have gone on to become the Directors of Outdoor Education programs, Middle and High School Teachers, NYC Department of Education Teaching Fellows, Youth Engagement Coordinators, Executive Directors of Science Foundations, Open Space Coordinators, US Policy Directors, and more.
Where does the path of Environmental Education lead?
The M.Ed. degree equips our students with the tools to change minds, be informed and engaged citizens, and support a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future. We spoke with a handful of M.Ed. alums who voiced how these tools have led them to being able to transform their passions into careers.
Prior to the M.Ed. in Environmental Education, Hanna Jane Guendel, M.Ed. ‘22 was working as an assistant in
an early childhood Waldorf classroom. They entered the program with a goal to foster inclusive Environmental Education spaces through teaching about race and queer identity. In order to meet this goal,
they focused their capstone project on creating a toolkit that early childhood educators can utilize to teach future generations. Hanna used their experience in education, the academic foundation they received in the M.Ed. in Environmental Education and extensive research for the creation of this toolkit. The experience also allowed Hanna to develop their career and ultimately prepared them for their current position as a Sustainability Teacher at Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School.
All M.Ed. in Environmental education students complete a 4-6 month required internship as part of the program. Kadijah Spence, M.Ed. ‘21 completed her internship at a Jewish nonprofit organization as a Social Justice Coach for teens. This experience led her to combine her interests in Jewish values with Environmental Education. Kadijah is currently a Teacher in Astoria, NY and is simultaneously pursuing a teaching certification in Biology while she works as a Teacher in Astoria, NY.
Craig Diaz, M.Ed. ‘20 found his internship when Wild Earth guest spoke at one of his classes. There, Craig’s work in program development and instructor onboarding sparked an interest in exploring the impact of environmental education on the instructor, rather than just the student. This internship led to a full-time position at Wild Earth as the Middle School Childhood School Coordinator, where he leads both the instructors and the students in building connections with each other and the environment.
Jae Zimmerman, M.Ed. ‘23 entered the program with experience as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, but was yearning to “understand the philosophy of environmental education” and to better understand how 
worldviews impact decisions that people make pertaining to the health of our planet. Jae's initial goal entering into the program was to learn how to change minds. They developed the skill set to accomplish this through their internship in Oaxaca, Mexico. Through Bard’s partnership with Mbis Bin Semilla para la Siembra, a nonprofit working in the sustainable development field, Jae led research and environmental education design for a local youth group. Their capstone then emerged from their work in Oaxaca, where they explored the development of both the Yu Naban program as a whole and themself as an educator. Now, Jae uses the tools they accumulated from these rich experiences to teach multilingual students and foster real-life connections in their current position in a Maine public school, where they are a fourth grade teacher and run an after school nature club there. Jae has also found themself using the tools from their education at Bard to advocate for social justice initiatives and to inspire a sense of belonging and place in nature.
Get an Environmental Education Degree at Bard
Do these stories inspire you? Are you seeking the tools to educate and empower the next generation? Whether you see yourself working in the private, public, or governmental sector, the Bard M.Ed. in Environmental Education can prepare you for a career with impact. If you want to learn more, check out our free guide: Guide to Getting a Masters in Environmental Education.
