The Climate Minor, offered through the College of the Environment, provides undergraduates with a unique opportunity to explore the science of climate in a multi-disciplinary context. The minor brings together coursework in climate chemistry and biology, physical climate and past climate through courses in Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography, Earth and Space Sciences and other science departments, with additional opportunities to explore policy, energy and human dimensions of climate change. Successful completion of the climate minor provides students with a strong interdisciplinary foundation in climate science and will help to prepare students for graduate study in climate related fields. To learn more about geoscientists watch the video below or go to: http://beageo.com/.
Be a Geoscientist: Earth is Calling
Program on Climate Change
and your departmental adivsor.
For undergraduates interested in the Climate Minor, please subscribe to: https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/climateminor
Minimum of 25 credits.
NOTE: Students are encouraged to take MATH 124, MATH 125, Math 126, PHYS 121, PHYS 122, and PHYS 123 or see advisor in order to complete the requirements for the minor.
The list of elective courses is designed to be expansive and allow majors to select courses that will provide in depth content in Climate Science while also meeting requirements within their selected major. These courses are arranged by topic area. Students must take one course from each focus area (Past Climate, the Physical Climate, and Chemistry and Biology) to also include one course from each of the three departments ATM S, ESS, and OCEAN.
OCEAN 400: Chemical Oceanography
OCEAN 430: Biological Oceanography
ATM S 358: Fundamentals of Atmospheric Chemistry
ENVIR/FISH 330: Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems
ATM S 458: Global Atmospheric Chemistry
BIOL 315: Biological Impacts of Climate Change
FISH 464: Arctic Marine Vertebrate Ecology
OCEAN 423: Ocean Circulation and Climate
OCEAN 210: Ocean Circulation
ATM S 301: Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences
ATM S 340:Introduction to Thermodynamics and Cloud Processes
ATM S 341: Atmospheric Radiative Transfer
ATM S 380: Weather and Climate Modeling
ATM S 431: Boundary-Layer Meteorology
ESS 416: Geophysics: The Atmosphere
ESS 433: Environmental Change in the Glacial Ages
ESS 431: Principles of Glaciology
OCEAN 450: Climatic Extremes
ESS 461: Geological Time
One social science, policy, technology, and energy course from the list below may be used to reach 25 credits.
ENVIR/PHIL 416: Ethics and Climate Change
M E/CHEM E 442: Renewable Energy
CHEM E/M E 341: Energy and Environment
GEOG 480: Environmental Geography, Climate, and Health
PHYS 217: Energy Future: The Technical and Social Barriers to Large-Scale Sustainable Energy
In addition to the approved policy elective courses above, select one-time special topics courses can also be used for the policy option. Courses are added as they come available below.
JSIS 482/582 (Special Topics in Canada) and ENVIR 495 (Advanced Topics in Environmental Studies): Business in the Artic- Working with Law and Policy in Resource Development
Atmospheric Sciences Minor
Earth and Space Science Minor
Quantitative Science Minor
Marine Biology Minor
School of Aquatic Fisheries Science Minor
Earth and Space Science B.A. Degree