Environmental Education in Graduate Professional Degrees: The Case of Urban Planning

Abstract

Environmental education (EE) is a prominent aspect of graduate-level master's programs in urban and regional planning. This article draws on the results of a survey of 66 environmental planning educators in urban and regional planning programs to show what types of EE are most prevalent in these graduate professional programs and in planning practice. The authors examine the relative importance of foundational and applied knowledge topics in both master's-level planning education and in seeking employment in the field of environmental planning. Environmental planning educators generally believe that applied knowledge topics are more important than foundational topics for students.

Keywords:

• environmental education
• environmental planning
• planning pedagogy
• planning practice