The need for an ecologically literate public has never been more pressing, and has spawned much focus on improving ecology education and outreach. To meet this growing need, many in the ESA community have transitioned to interdisciplinary research, combining education and ecology. In doing so, many have often met a number of obstacles. Graduate students, in particular, can face an overwhelming amount of barriers when attempting to construct an interdisciplinary dissertation. These barriers include learning how to design productive education research, how to balance the two research programs to show progress, and how to construct a viable dissertation plan. This workshop will offer a helpful discussion to those interested in interdisciplinary research, including insight from individuals who have had success in balancing ecology and education research within their dissertation. The workshop will be organized to include current available information, case-studies, and a discussion of issues. Information will be provided on research that has attempted to identify the conceptual framework underlying ecological literacy, methodological approaches to designing and assessing quantitative education research, and constructing and implementating this type of dissertation. A series of case studies will illustrate successful interdisciplinary research programs for those interested in any form of education: K-12, undergraduate-graduate, and public education. The workshop will take an interactive approach with significant time allotted for collaborative planning of interdisciplinary research agendas and participation in the discussion of issues around the design and implementation of education research.