Shippensburg University offers an approved program in environmental education. The program may be taken by elementary education majors as an academic sequence or by secondary education majors in biology or geography/earth science. Secondary students in other fields may enroll in the program with the permission of their department chair.
The environmental education program at Shippensburg is a somewhat structured program, but it also allows for much diversity in the selection of courses for the completion of the requirements for the certification. This certification allows the teacher to teach any subject matter which is labeled as environmental education in any grade from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
To receive the certification a student must complete a minimum of 24 credits from the courses described below. The only course which is required of all students is EDU410 Environmental Education Practicum.
The practicum is offered during fall semester of odd numbered years.
The additional 21 credits may be selected in a variety of ways, but a minimum of 12 credits must be selected from a core of courses, and nine credits must be selected from courses outside of the student's major field of study. These 21 credits must also be selected from a minimum of three departments of the university and include a statistics course.
I. REQUIRED COURSE -- EDU410
Environmental Education Practicum (3 crs.)
II. CORE COURSES -- 12 credits minimum
The student must select a minimum of one course from each of the four
categories (A-D) below. Additional courses may be counted toward Related
Electives in III.
A.
BIO235 Introduction to Ecology
BIO340 Ecology
B.
BIO208 Field Biology
BIO210 Field Zoology
BIO248 Field Natural History
BIO448 Field Botany and Plant Taxonomy
C.
ESS110 Introduction to Geology
ESS111 Introduction to the Atmosphere
ESS210 Physical Geology
D.
BIO145 Problems of the Environment
ESS108 Conservation of Natural Resources
III. RELATED ELECTIVES
Any remaining credits must be selected from the courses listed below. It is
recommended students take as broad a base of courses as possible if they have a
strength in one of the science areas. If an area of strength is not evident, it
is recommended the remaining electives be used to establish one. Include one of
the statistics courses in this list.
ANT111 Cultural Anthropology
ANT121 Physical Anthropology
BIO205 Marine Biology
BIO220 Microbiology
BIO245 Marine Ecology
BIO310 Mammalogy
BIO311 Ornithology
BIO442 Hydrobiology
BIO446 Ecology of Marine Plankton
BIO455 Algae and Aquatic Plants
BIO514 Aquatic Entomology
BIO540 Biogeography
BIO547 Wetland Ecology
BIO558 MicrobialEcology
BIO593 Biometry
CHM103 Chemistry: A Cultural Approach
CHM105 Chemistry: An Observational Approach
ECN310 Public Finance
ECN340 Introduction to Regional Economics
ECN345 The Economics of Growth and Development
ESS220 Oceanography
ESS355 Meteorology
ESS413 Mineral and Rock Resources
ESS442 Environmental Geology
GEO103 Geography of the U.S. and Canada
GEO140 Cultural Geography
GEO203 Climatology
GEO224 Soils
GEO226 Hydrology
GEO244 Land Use
GEO440 Field Techniques
GEO444 Environmental Land Use Planning
PLS207 Municipal Government and Administration
PLS316 Public Management
PLS334 Regional and Urban Planning
MAT102 Introduction to Statistics
MAT170 Elementary Statistics for Social Science
A student should normally indicate interest in receiving the certification early in his/her undergraduate studies. This interest should be communicated to his/her advisor or department chair so a suitable program can be planned which will allow the student to complete the requirements within a normal four-year program. Students and advisors are urged to consult the catalog for any prerequisites for courses above the 100 levels.