Social Justice and Community Organizing

At °®¶¹ÉçÇø, we understand that social justice work requires preparation, study, risk taking and most importantly, experiential learning from communities engaged for justice in their own context.

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Career Pathways

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What will this program look like?

Interdisciplinary and immersive, students gain first-hand knowledge and experience while studying the theories of social justice and solidarity movements and learning practical skills. Most importantly, our students learn through collaboration with solidarity movements through the  long-standing relationships of members of the °®¶¹ÉçÇø community. Our students will learn to bring in common frames the diversity of local and and global perspectives to make sense of the changes underway in our world and communities. We read, watch, analyze, debate and express: our classes are small and lively, and our time with communities is in depth.

You can keep your studies broad, or focus around one specific area of interest, such as Indigenous studies, migration studies, global systems, communications and storytelling, community education, environmental justice and conservation, or law and policy. You may continue your studies through one of our accelerated Master’s degrees such as the program in Organizing and Community Justice.

Why a Bachelor’s Degree in Field Ecology and Conservation?

Field Ecology and Conservation at °®¶¹ÉçÇø is about connecting with the natural world and conserving it towards the long-term sustainable future of the planet. Our students truly engage with nature and experience it up close, in person. Our students spend over half their time outdoors, identifying and inventorying native plants, monitoring seabird nesting behavior on offshore islands, and restoring riparian ecosystems to health and vitality. In the classroom, we learn evolutionary theory, the life histories of organisms, and field methods for ecological research. We take the knowledge and skills we learn in the greater Southwest and apply it worldwide on field studies. We travel to the rainforest of Costa Rica, the coast of the Gulf of California, and to the alpine tundra of the Sierra Nevada.

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What can you do with this degree?

Our students become the conservationists of the twenty first century. Amidst a modern
world of ecological upheaval, they do this by focusing on place-based conservation
projects, restoring the planet one community at a time. Graduates find livelihoods as
research technicians, ecological consultants, ecotourism guides, naturalist educators,
and park rangers. They work for organizations such as The National Park Service, The
Nature Conservancy, Rio Grande Returns, and The Center for Biodiversity. They
monitor the return of rapids along the Colorado River, changes in gallery forest stands in
the Hassayampa Preserve, and restore wetlands at the headwaters of the Rio Grande.
Many of our students also go on to attain graduate degrees in related fields, such as
Botany and Biology. By providing unparalleled opportunities to engage with and explore
the natural world, °®¶¹ÉçÇø’s Field Ecology and Conservation major is designed
to give students the knowledge, skills, and experience to be the best field ecologists and
conservationists of our times.

Here are some careers of our graduates:

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What will this program look like?

We are experiential and field-based; our goal is to graduate ecologically informed,
competent, skilled field practitioners. Our classes have an average of a dozen students
and integrate teaching methods specifically developed for small, interactive student
groups. Students should expect rigorous classroom academics complimented by
immersive field studies, often in remote field settings. The field begins the moment we
go outside to our campus gardens and botanically-oriented grounds, and extends to
field stations and wild places around the planet. While some courses happen entirely in
the classroom and others happen entirely in the field, most courses integrate both
indoor and outdoor learning elements, and on average we spend at least 50% of our
time outside.

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Available Concentrations within Field Ecology and Conservation

Marine Studies
Natural History Interpretation
Sustainable Food Systems
Environmental Education

Other Available Concentrations

Adventure Education
Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership
Outdoor Leadership

Certificates

River Studies and Leadership Certificate

Environmental Humanities at °®¶¹ÉçÇø

Environmental Humanities at °®¶¹ÉçÇø is about understanding the relationship between the natural world and the human experience. Healing the world requires deep imagination, creative action, and skillful practices. We use the lenses of the humanities— art, history, literature, anthropology, philosophy, religious studies – to complement scientific approaches to the human-environment relationship in order to investigate, envision, and celebrate human engagements with the more-than-human world.

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What can you do with a degree in environmental humanities?

Our students become the artists, writers, dancers, teachers, curators, and conservationists of the twenty first century. Our graduates become events coordinators for organizations such as Coconino Center for the Arts, directors for nonprofits such as the Launchpad, college professors, and independent film-makers. With a broad base of study in environmental humanities, many of our graduates go on to pursue graduate studies in visual arts, creative writing, performing arts, and other interdisciplinary fields such as anthropology, history and philosophy. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this bachelor of arts degree, graduates continue on to careers in extremely varying fields:

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What will this program look like?

Students will find themselves creating original work (poetry, pottery, dance choreography) and sharing it for feedback within a mentored peer workshop setting. With a dozen or fewer students, our classes allow for an unparalleled level of
personalization. Students may find themselves on courses in the Southwest, Kenya, and Mexico, spinning pottery in the Cicada Center for the Arts, or exploring the subtleties of Chinese Nature Poetry in the campus gardens. While some courses happen entirely in the classroom and others happen entirely in the field, most courses integrate both indoor and outdoor learning elements.

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Available Concentrations

Adventure Education
Climate Justice
Education for Social Justice
Environmental Studies
Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership
Natural History Interpretation
Marine Studies
Outdoor Leadership

Certificates

River Studies and Leadership Certificate

Why this program?

You are fascinated by the human mind. You are equally curious about how the world around us influences human thought, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. You believe  that healthy individuals and groups help contribute to a more just and sustainable world, and vice versa. You therefore want a more holistic approach to psychology than most colleges and universities offer. You believe this integrated program is the best way to become an effective and positive agent for change.

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What can you do with this degree?

You can apply your holistic mindset, practical skills, and theoretical knowledge across a variety of career paths including counseling, psychotherapy, community well-being programs, health promotion programs, educational and research institutions, among many others.

Use this degree to participate in one of our accelerated Master’s degrees: MS in Counseling or MEd in School Counseling.

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What will this program look like?

Explore emotional, cognitive, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects of the human mind while also gaining deep insight into how socioeconomic, political, and environmental systems influence individuals and community life. This kind of integration goes beyond mainstream approaches to psychology, which narrowly focus on the individual person. In our program, you will learn to apply critically and ethically informed psychological knowledge to support individual, societal, environmental, and organizational wellbeing. You will also apply scientific thinking to understand and evaluate the quality and value of psychological research, theories, and applications. And you will have opportunities to take classes from different departments and programs, as well as obtain experiences in the field and learn how to prepare and practice for a therapeutic setting.

The BA in Psychology at °®¶¹ÉçÇø emphasizes critical, holistic, and social/environmental justice perspectives to approach the study of individual, societal, and institutional/organizational psychological processes and well-being. These perspectives include centering diverse voices, experiences, and ways of knowing, and understanding the complex interactions between sociocultural and individual factors, as well as the influence of power, privilege, and oppression.

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Available Concentrations

Adventure Education
Climate Justice
Education for Social Justice
Environmental Studies
Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership
Natural History Interpretation
Marine Studies
Outdoor Leadership

Certificates

Why this program?

The Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies is designed for students with 80 or more credits who are:

• Seeking to complete their undergraduate degree; and
• Highly interested in accelerating into a Master’s degree.

The Bachelor of Science blends courses from multiple disciplines, bridging knowledge from various fields to cultivate a holistic understanding of how the world is interconnected. Students become uniquely well-positioned in various industries to identify solutions to complex environmental and social issues. Recent graduates working at the intersection of fields include an arborist and horticulturist who uses art to inform and influence public environmental policy. As an executive director of a YMCA, another graduate uses her education in leadership, social justice, and culture to make meaningful change at a time when it is needed most.

Interdisciplinary Studies students use graduate courses to fulfill many of the remaining credits needed for the undergraduate degree while simultaneously completing up to 67% of a graduate degree. Undergraduate students must apply and be accepted into a Master’s program to be considered an Accelerated Master’s student.

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Accelerated Master’s Degrees

Earn two degrees in less time; in addition to saving money, you will benefit from a seamless transition from undergraduate to graduate study while increasing your marketability in the workforce.

Save time and money
Complete your degrees sooner, save on tuition costs and enter the workforce at least one year earlier with a graduate degree.

Financial Aid
Apply your financial aid towards your graduate credits.

Increased Earning Potential

Graduating with both degrees often means higher starting salaries and more earning potential throughout your career.

• You’ll have an additional area of expertise and the credentials to tackle a broad range of industry-related projects.
• You’ll receive personalized academic and career support advising

Eligible students with outstanding academic records may apply to the relevant program of interest once they have completed 60 credits, and upon acceptance, may begin taking graduate credits with the support and guidance of their undergraduate faculty adviser and graduate program director. Please make sure to check on specific program admission requirements. 

Talk with your Success Coach, Advisor, or an Admissions Counselor today!

Why this program?

For over 60 years, °®¶¹ÉçÇø has led the field of Adventure Education, combining rigorous academics with immersive, hands-on experiences in some of the most extraordinary landscapes in the Southwest and around the world. Students gain technical outdoor skills, leadership experience, ecological knowledge, interpersonal fluency, teaching competency, and an equitable and just approach to education and recreation in the outdoors. 

Whether you are drawn to outdoor leadership, technical guiding, experiential education, wilderness programming, or creating transformative experiences for others, °®¶¹ÉçÇø prepares you to turn your passion for the outdoors into a career you are passionate about. 

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What can you do with a degree in Adventure Education?

You’ll graduate with the skill set you need to be a leader in the fast-growing outdoor education and recreation industry.  Whether you’re leading expeditions, conducting fieldwork, teaching in the outdoors, managing risk, building communities, or launching your own path, you’ll be ready. Our graduates go on to become outdoor guides, environmental educators, outdoor program managers, business owners, naturalists, outdoor field technicians, and public land managers. Here are some of the career paths of our graduates:

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What will this program look like?

We are experiential. Students apply everything they learn through field expeditions, leadership practica, internships, and senior projects.

We are field-based. We spend at least 50% of our time learning in the field – from the riparian canyons and desert rivers of the Southwest, to the alpine tundra of the Sierra Nevada, the snow-filled mountains of Idaho, and even the Andes of South America. Some classes are 100% field-based expeditions, like Environmental Perspectives & White-Water Rafting, where over a month-long Block class, students learn a mix of technical skills, environmental and natural history, and leadership techniques on the Green and Colorado Rivers. Other classes, like Introduction to Rock Climbing, include day-long field trips at local and regional climbing areas.  Often, our classes combine classroom learning with fieldwork, and students might be in the classroom to study experiential education theory and then engage in field-based learning to observe and implement these teaching techniques. 

We are holistic. We believe we graduate the best outdoor educators – individuals who are effective leaders and communicators, experienced facilitators, technically skilled, environmentally literate, and justice-oriented. As a student in Adventure Education, you will study with inspiring mentors and take diverse courses to become well-rounded, highly skilled, and effective outdoor educators, guides, and leaders. 

To learn more about how to earn your B.A. in Adventure Education, you can check out our  and Catalog

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Available Concentrations within Adventure Education

In addition to a B.A. in Adventure Education, students from across other areas of study can earn one of our concentrations or certificates to complement and diversity their degree. 

Concentration: Outdoor Studies

You will professionalize your passion for the outdoors through exciting field-based courses in mountain, river, and desert environments. Students will gain the skills needed to live and travel in a variety of remote field environments, and learn to work effectively in small groups in outdoor settings. This concentration supports students in gaining a technical field-based skill set they can apply to a wide range of careers and disciplines.

Concentration: Outdoor Leadership

Through the Outdoor Leadership concentration, you will gain high levels of technical competency to guide, facilitate, and teach in a wide range of outdoor environments. Students who choose this concentration are excited about becoming leaders and guides in the outdoors and are highly competitive in the outdoor recreation industry.  This concentration offers several pathways so that students can choose the technical skill area(s) they wish to specialize in. 

Concentration: Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership

Our concentration in Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership prepares you to become a leader in accessible outdoor education. Through a mix of theoretical and field courses, students gain the outdoor skills, leadership experience, and knowledge to create and deliver accessible outdoor education experiences. 

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Adventure Education-Specific Certificates

Certificate: Environmental Education

Students who complete the certificate requirements will receive a °®¶¹ÉçÇø-issued certificate as well as the option to pursue/receive certificate as well. The AAEE is an affiliate of the . Learn More [send to EE certificate description on Cert page]

Certificate: River Studies and Leadership 

Students who take the qualifying coursework may be eligible for a certificate in River Studies & Leadership certificate through the River Management Society. For more, visit the