This program provides a path for undergraduate students to obtain an interdisciplinary and cross-department education in the science of climate. Students will acquire a foundation in how Earth’s climate works, evolves, and impacts other aspects of the Earth and society.
Requirements
Prerequisites
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Physics 1 | ||
or PHYS 1115 | General Physics 1 for Majors | |
| Calculus 1 for Engineers | ||
or MATH 1300 | Calculus 1 | |
| Foundations of Chemistry | ||
or CHEM 1113 | General Chemistry 1 | |
or CHEN 1201 | General Chemistry for Engineers 1 | |
or CHEN 1211 | Accelerated Chemistry for Engineers | |
Students must complete 18 credits hours in climate science coursework, including a minimum of 9 upper-division credit hours. All coursework applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better; no pass/fail work may be applied. The grade point average in all climate science coursework must be equal to 2.0 (C) or higher.
Students may apply no more than 9 credit hours from their major to the climate science minor.
Students may apply no more than 9 credit hours, including 6 upper-division credit hours, of transfer work toward the minor.
Students will select courses from a curated and predetermined menu. All students will take an introductory course (Group 1); then 3 courses in Group 2: Science of Climate, with no more than 2 courses within one of the subgroups (A-C); 1 course from Group 3: Quantitative Methods; and 1 course from Group 4: Climate Impacts and Solutions.
Required Courses and Credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1: Introductory Course | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Our Changing Environment: El Nino, Ozone, and Climate | ||
GEOL 1060 | ||
| Introduction to Atmospheric Research | ||
| Group 2: Science of Climate | ||
| 3 courses from Group 2, with at least 1 courses from 2 different subgroups (A-C) | 9-11 | |
| Group 2A: Air and Water | ||
| Planets and Their Atmospheres | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography | ||
| Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations | ||
or GEOG 3301 | Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations | |
| Principles of Climate | ||
or ENVS 3600 | Principles of Climate | |
or GEOG 3601 | Principles of Climate | |
| Renewable Energy Meteorology | ||
| Physical Oceanography and Climate | ||
| The Arctic Climate System | ||
| Group 2B: Ice, Land, and Past Climate | ||
| Ice Sheets and Climate | ||
| Glaciers and Permafrost | ||
GEOL 3040 | ||
| Paleoclimatology | ||
GEOL 4341 | ||
| Stable Isotopes in Paleoclimate and Paleoecology | ||
| Group 2C: The Impact of Climate on Earth’s Environment | ||
| Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation | ||
| Mountain Ecology and Conservation | ||
| Introduction to the Arctic Environment | ||
| Earth Surface Processes | ||
or GEOL 4241 | ||
| Group 3: Quantitative Methods | ||
| Choose one course from Group 3 | 3-4 | |
| Introduction to Scientific Programming | ||
| Scientific Programming, Data Analysis and Visualization Laboratory | ||
GEOL 3600 | ||
| Introduction to Programming and Scientific Computing | ||
| Introduction to Data Science | ||
| Group 4: Climate Impacts and Solutions | ||
| Choose one course from Group 4: | 3 | |
| Exploring Global Cultural Diversity (Anthropology of Climate Change) | ||
| Creative Climate Communication | ||
or ENVS 3173 | Creative Climate Communication | |
or THTR 4173 | ||
| The Art and Strategy of Science Communication: Branding Climate Change | ||
| Climate and Energy Justice | ||
| Energy and Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Approach | ||
or GEOL 3520 | ||
| Intermediate Environmental Problem Analysis: Topical Cornerstones (Confronting Environmental Racism) | ||
| Energy Policy and Society | ||
| Sociology of Climate Change | ||
or SOCY 4030 | Sociology of Climate Change | |
| Global Geographies: Societies, Places, Connections | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 18-21 | |