Overview
Combine your passions for the natural world and for teaching in APU’s master’s degree program in Outdoor and Environmental Education.
Farm and Forest will be your classroom on APU’s Kellogg Campus in Palmer, Alaska, where you will hone your teaching skills at the Kellogg Field School outdoor education lab school.
Join a small cohort of peers while pursuing your interest in outdoor, environmental, adventure and wilderness education in a seamless, place-based program in a place of unparalleled beauty.
Every graduate student spends a portion of their first semester in the MOSEE program teaching at Kellogg Field School
A one credit practicum is integrated with the Curriculum Design course to provide students the opportunity to tie theory to application immediately. This practicum is typically reimbursed as a teaching assistantship to help cover the investment made by the student. It also helps our new graduate students meet our local community of parents and kids and immerse themselves in the kind of active learning they came here to experience. Visit kelloggfieldschool.org for more information.
Degree Fit
The only program of its kind in Alaska (or almost anywhere!), APU’s Master of Science degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education (MSOEE) prepares professionals in outdoor-related careers, current teachers and others with a passion for the outdoors for advancement into many interdisciplinary career fields involving outdoor education. Experiential learning starts early on in this personalized, hands-on program, where you will combine theory with design and delivery of curricula in the on-site teaching/learning lab that serves children and adults eager to learn about nature, well-being and the outdoors.
Career Outcomes
- Environmental Educator, Alaska Department of Fish & Game
- Field Instructor, Alaska Avalanche School
- Certified Elementary Teacher, Houston Elementary School
- Field Instructor, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
- Certified Elementary Teacher, Northern Pacific Academy
- Faculty and Environmental Educator, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Recreational Therapist, Northstar Behavioral Health
- Kids Don’t Float Program Coordinator, Alaska DNR – Office of Boating Safety
- Interpretive Ranger, NPS
- Public Safety Ranger, Alaska State Parks
- Site Coordinator, Trailside Discovery Camps
- Professional Development Manager, Camp Fire Alaska
Degree Roadmap
Curriculum Design for Outdoor Educators
Power of Place in Education
Teaching Methods for Experiential Education
Research Methods
Learning Theory in Outdoor Education
Outdoor & Environmental Literacy
Elective Expeditions and Skills: Sea Kayaking, Mountaineering, Leadership
Thesis Seminar I
Thesis Seminar II
Research Methods
Practicum
Thesis Research/Professional Project
Concentrations
You love the outdoors. You love teaching. You will love this.
Students pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental and Outdoor Education (MSOEE) have the option to pursue a K-8 Teaching Certificate with APU’s Certificate Only Option Program (CO-OP). Students will dual-enroll in the Master of Science in Outdoor and Environmental Education (MSOEE) and the CO-OP, enabling them to obtain both the MSOEE and teacher certification in Alaska that will give you thorough preparation for teaching in public and charter schools with an emphasis in environmental and outdoor education. Your first year of the program will be spent taking classes primarily at APU’s 900 acre Kellogg Campus in Palmer, Alaska. The second year is spent at APU’s Anchorage campus preparing for and completing your student teaching.
This degree option gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of careers, including positions in public, private or charter schools, interpretive and education specialist jobs in land management agencies and positions in non-governmental organizations and businesses such as conservation organizations and camps.
Student Profiles
APU made it super easy for me to transfer in from another school. MSOEE wrapped perfectly with what I wanted – to finish a hands-on degree in hands-on curriculum for environmental education. The classes are small and I thoroughly enjoy the active learning. I’m getting job experience while I’m still in school, and getting to live in Palmer, Alaska, is a definite bonus. The professors are amazing and they go above and beyond to help us meet our personal and professional goals. -Dani Biersteker, MSOEE, 2016
I liked being able to get my master’s degree and certification together. Flexibility of the program made it possible to work the whole time I was in school. MSOEE with the certification option was a well-rounded experience with traditional and non-traditional aspects from two different programs. -Valerie Tillman – MSOEE and CO-OP, 2015
Eli Conlee came to Alaska by way of the Pacific Northwest to join the MSOEE program. He graduated from Corban University in Salem, Oregon with a B.S. in Theology and has spent the last seven years working in the varying fields of agriculture, public works, wilderness lodge management, and outdoor retail.His first multi-day trip into the mountains of Oregon was on horseback at 6 weeks old, so the wilderness must have infiltrated his DNA. He finds a great sense of place and purpose in the creation we call wilderness and is compelled to share this passion with others to encourage leadership, growth and stewardship.
When other responsibilities aren’t pressing, he can usually be found backpacking, backcountry skiing, biking or reading – and always ready to share a meal with a friend, old or new.-Eli Conlee
– Current MSOEE Student
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