Graduate Program

Living, Learning and Teaching in the Pacific Northwest
IslandWood is a nationally recognized outdoor education center located on Bainbridge Island, WA across Puget Sound from Seattle’s urban center. IslandWood’s mission is to provide exceptional learning experiences and to inspire lifelong environmental and community stewardship.
Each year, our graduate students live, learn, and teach with us in a spectacular natural setting. (Click here to view a slideshow of what recent alumni are doing with their IslandWood education.) Together we explore the meaning and power of education, environment, and community. Students share their knowledge with culturally diverse communities through hands-on teaching experiences.
The graduate program at IslandWood is based on the principle that a more sustainable future demands knowledgeable, committed and reflective educators.
During their time at IslandWood, graduate students take courses in a variety of topics while guiding outdoor experiences for a diverse population of elementary school students, primarily from nearby Seattle. Our talented faculty, forested campus, and proximity to a dynamic urban center distinguish IslandWood as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to begin or enrich a lifelong commitment to children, education, and the environment.
This program is offered in partnership with the University of Washington.
Program Highlights
-
Be an educator and role model for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade
students from communities around the Puget Sound
region. More than half of our participants come from low-income
schools — and many will be experiencing the joy
of learning in nature for the first time.
- Learn the best practices of environmental, experiential
and multicultural education while completing the first
year of a two-year Masters in Education or Masters in
Teaching at the University of Washington.
- Live on IslandWood’s 255–acre campus featuring five distinct ecosystems and sustainably designed buildings — just a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.
- Be the link between students’ experiences at IslandWood
and their home communities through pre- and post-visits
to classrooms in our partner schools.
- Open a door to a wide range of careers, including
teaching, nonprofit management, and other green jobs in
the public, private, and nonprofit sector.
Applying to our program
The Class of 2012/2013 is now complete. We will begin reviewing completed applications for the 2013/2014 year in November. Students who apply by April 15th and are admitted will receive a $100 tuition discount.
Download an application today!
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