female sitting outside on a bridge

Outdoor Education Certificate

Leave the desk behind. Make a career doing what you love and where you do it best — teach others how to connect with and appreciate the great outdoors.

UND's Outdoor Education Certificate is designed to develop diverse, engaged and capable outdoor educators and leaders able to meet demands in the field among various employers.

Program type:
Certificates/Programs - Undergraduate
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
1 to 2 years
Credit hours:
9

Why get a certificate in Outdoor Education?

Application Deadlines
Fall:
Aug. 15
Spring:
Dec. 15
Summer:
May 1

 

The Certificate in Outdoor Education provides students with a highly impactful opportunity to develop competency in instructing in outdoor settings dealing with environmental topics.

UND's Outdoor Education Certificate provides students with important credentials for diverse educative and outdoor settings and environments, from formal schools to parks and nature centers. Schools, nature centers, environmental learning centers, zoos, environmental non-profits and governmental agencies all have needs concerning environmental education and fostering sustainability and stewardship.

This certificate is an excellent complement for students studying:

Outdoor Education Certificate at UND

  • You will have a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities available in the field of outdoor education, with emphasis on nature-based learning, outdoor education methodology, environmental education practice and environmental interpretation.

  • You will have opportunities to work with the newly established UND Learning Gardens Project, work with schools and local environmental learning centers such as Agassiz Environmental Learning Center and participate in regional organizations and conferences, such as the Heartland Region of National Association for Interpretation and the Place-based Educators Network.

  • You will be immersed in a variety of outdoor education settings and fields in each class.

  • There is increasing recognition of the need for ecologically literate citizens and environmental educators like you can help foster this literacy in schools and informal settings.

  • You can meet students with like minds by joining the UND Environmental Restoration Club, Students for Sustainability, or The Wildlife Society.

  • You will have the opportunity to take Outdoor Education Methods (OLEE 271) as a study abroad course in Belize.

Outdoor Education Certificate Courses

OLEE 271. Outdoor, Experiential Learning. 3 Credits.

Learn about the history, theories, philosophies, and contexts of nature based outdoor education for diverse learners, with a focus on experiential and immersive learning. Students will spend considerable time outdoors experiencing the natural world first-hand. F, odd years.

OLEE 362. Nature as Classroom. 3 Credits.

The world is facing increasing environmental challenges and issues, the majority linked to human impact. Ecological literacy and nature-based environmental education have become essential to foster the necessary awareness, critical thinking, attitudes and motivations that enable us to address these environmental issues. Nature-based environmental education provides an integrated approach to teaching centered on localized ecological and cultural (biocultural) systems with a specific focus on culturally relevant ways of understanding and working with the land and ecosystems significant to place. In this introductory course we will explore nature-based environmental and focus on critical analysis of readings and perspectives, experiential learning, our own connections to the natural world and hone our skills in nature-based leadership in topics such as learning gardens and watershed education. F, even years.

OLEE 470. Wild Thoughts: Interpreting the Natural World. 3 Credits.

As a field, Interpretation helps people develop a deep relationship to nature. This relationship changes based on history, culture, personal meaning and communication. Through an examination of the concept of wilderness, students will engage with the principles, methods, and insights of Environmental Interpretation and explore the many ways human societies have communicated values and relationships to the natural world. S, odd years.

Leaders in Education

UND students are prepared to be leaders in their field to motivate future generations.

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