Best Master's in Environmental Education Programs by Local Teacher Pay

1. 1

   Mississippi State University

   Mississippi State, MSPublic

   • 6Master's/yr
   • $49,790State teacher pay
   • Master of Science in Conservation Education
   • Online
   About the program

   Mississippi State University offers an online Master of Science in Conservation Education distinguished by accreditation from the North American Association for Environmental Education, a mark held by fewer than 15 institutions nationwide. The program runs as a single structured 30-credit pathway with no concentrations to sort through, which keeps the experience focused and consistent for every student. Its non-thesis capstone is deliberately applied, pairing each student with a conservation organization to design and carry out a real education project, then closing with a comprehensive exam. The fully online delivery and the absence of a GRE or GMAT requirement make it accessible to working professionals in parks, agencies, and nonprofits. This is a practice-oriented degree for people who want to strengthen their conservation-teaching credentials without stepping away from the field. It is a master's degree in environmental education at the master's level, based in Mississippi.

   Why it ranks here

   A master's degree earns its rank on program-appropriate signals, not undergraduate ones: established scale, local teacher pay, and institutional strength. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 6 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Mississippi statewide, where elementary teachers earn a median $49,790, roughly $57,261 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.

   Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.

   School site
2. 2

   University of Delaware

   Newark, DEPublic

   • 1Master's/yr
   • M.S. in Insect and Wildlife Environmental Education
   • On-campus
   About the program

   The University of Delaware offers a Master of Science in Insect and Wildlife Environmental Education that joins the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology with the School of Education, pairing ecological science with the craft of teaching. Rather than preparing K-12 classroom teachers, the program points graduates toward nature centers, parks, and other informal education settings where scientific literacy is taught outside a school. Its accelerated 4+1 pathway lets UD teacher-education majors fold a bachelor's and master's together, which reads as a fast track for undergraduates who already know they want a career in environmental interpretation. A 9-credit internship anchors the applied side, placing students with partners such as Delaware State Parks, Longwood Gardens, or Mt. Cuba Center. The result is a science-grounded, field-oriented degree for aspiring naturalists and outdoor educators. This program offers a master's degree in environmental education in Delaware.

   Why it ranks here

   Master's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 1 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.

   School site
3. 3

   Bard College

   Annandale-On-Hudson, NYPrivate nonprofit

   • 5Master's/yr
   • Master of Education in Environmental Education
   • On-campus
   About the program

   Bard College offers a Master of Education in Environmental Education that blends focused campus study with an extended immersion in professional practice. Two semesters of on-campus core work give way to a required full-time internship of four to six months, placed nationally or internationally, so students test their teaching in a real organizational setting before finishing. There are no rigid named tracks; instead, candidates shape their focus through electives and a student-directed capstone thesis, and a two-week January field course in the Taconic Mountains adds a hands-on outdoor dimension. The standalone M.Ed. does not itself lead to teaching certification, but a dual MEd/MAT or MS/MAT option is available for those who also want a classroom credential. The overall design reads as a customizable, experience-driven degree for emerging environmental education leaders. This program offers a master's degree in environmental education in New York.

   Why it ranks here

   For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 5 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.

   School site
4. 4

   University of Idaho

   Moscow, IDPublic

   • 11Master's/yr
   • Master of Natural Resources, Environmental Education and Science Communication option
   • On-campus
   About the program

   The University of Idaho offers a Master of Natural Resources with an Environmental Education and Science Communication option that is unusually immersive, structured as a single non-thesis pathway rather than a menu of tracks. Students live through a 10.5-month cohort residency at the university's McCall Field Campus, where free housing and a shared calendar signal a program designed to be lived rather than fit around a job. The defining experience is a practicum as a field instructor for the McCall Outdoor Science School, so candidates learn to teach and communicate science by doing it with real audiences. Fall-only intake and the cohort model reinforce its tight, community-based rhythm. This is a residential, practice-first degree for people who want to build careers in outdoor and place-based environmental education, though it is not open to F-1 or J-1 visa applicants. As a master's degree in environmental education, it adds to the master's-level environmental education options in Idaho.

   Why it ranks here

   For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 11 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.

   School site
5. 5

   University of Minnesota-Duluth

   Duluth, MNPublic

   • 6Master's/yr
   • Master of Environmental Education
   • On-campus
   About the program

   The University of Minnesota Duluth offers a Master of Environmental Education that gives students a clear choice about how research-heavy they want the degree to be. Plan B builds toward a research project, while Plan C is a coursework-only route, and both are designed to finish in about two years. That split lets the program serve two audiences at once, those who want a scholarly capstone and those who prefer a broader, applied course of study. Learning is grounded in place, with access to the 55-acre Bagley Nature Area and the LEED Platinum Bagley Classroom bringing environmental teaching into a living outdoor setting. Rather than a K-12 licensure track, this is a field-connected graduate degree for educators and interpreters working in environmental and outdoor education. This program offers a master's degree in environmental education in Minnesota.

   Why it ranks here

   For a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 6 master's degrees a year, a steady if smaller cohort.

   School site

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