Environmental Change Minor
The Environmental Change minor provides students with an integrative understanding of the causes, impacts, and potential mitigation of anthropogenic environmental change by combining relevant knowledge, perspectives, and critical thinking skills from across the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native studies.
This minor is intentionally interdisciplinary, reflective of the multidimensionality of the social-ecological issue of environmental change. It is flexible to allow students to pursue their individual lines of interest within this broad field. UAF is a world leader in environmental change and Arctic research due in part to its location, where the impacts of climate change can be observed and felt at an accelerated pace, and is an ideal setting in which to engage with faculty possessing expertise in multiple dimensions of environmental change, through in-person and/or online coursework.
Climate Scholars Program
Students who are interested in the Environmental Change minor are encouraged to check out the UAF Climate Scholars Program (CSP), which is in UAF’s Honors College and offers unique opportunities for field-based, hands-on learning and research. If you are already in the Climate Scholars Program, all CSP courses can be used in the Environmental Change minor!
Click here to apply to join the Climate Scholars Program today.
How the Minor Works
- Add the Environmental Change minor to your bachelor's degree using the Registrar's Declaration of minor form.
- Select at least 15 credits from the two approved categories plus an additional course from either list, creating a minimum 15 credits total:
- Students are also encouraged to explore other relevant courses. If including any courses not from the approved lists, these must be approved by the UIS department, who will will submit an to the Registrar's office. Courses that need approval can include Climate Scholars courses, transfer courses, courses taken while studying abroad, or UAF classes that do support the study of climate and environmental change, but aren't on the approved lists.
Complete a minimum of 6 credits from each of the following lists:
- Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology: minimum 6 credits
- Social Sciences, Humanities and ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native Studies: minimum 6 credits
- Additional credits in either category to reach 15 credits (if needed)
Below are the currently approved courses for the Environmental Change minor. to have other courses approved.
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
|
ATM F101X |
Weather and Climate of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ |
4 |
|
ATM F456 |
Climate and Climate Change |
3 |
|
ATM F473 |
Micrometeorology with a Focus on Subarctic and Arctic Ecosystems |
3 |
|
BIOL F103X |
Biology and Society |
4 |
|
BIOL F104X |
Natural History of ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ |
4 |
|
BIOL F371 |
Principles of Ecology |
4 |
|
BIOL F385 |
Global Change Biology |
3 |
|
CE F424 |
Permafrost Engineering |
3 |
|
FISH F110 |
Fish and Fisheries in a Changing World |
3 |
|
GE F441 |
Geohazard Analysis |
3 |
|
GEOG F307 |
Weather and Climate |
3 |
|
GEOG F490 |
Geography Seminar |
3 |
|
GEOS/GEOS F339 |
Change Detection in Arctic Systems |
4 |
|
GEOS/GEOS F460 |
The Dynamic ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Coastline |
3 |
|
GEOS/ATM/GEOG F480 |
Climate Change Processes: Past, Present, Future |
4 |
|
OCN F481 |
The Oceans and Global Change |
3 |
|
MBI F482 |
Human Impacts on the Marine Biosphere |
3 |
Climate Scholars Program Courses can be approved for this minor
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
|
ART/ACNS F425 |
Visual Images of the North |
3 |
|
ACNS F201 |
The Circumpolar North: An Introductory Overview |
3 |
|
ANS F101 |
Introduction to ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native Studies |
3 |
|
ANS F350 |
Cross-cultural Communication: ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Perspectives |
3 |
|
ANS/ANTH/ART F365 |
ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native Art History |
3 |
|
ANS/RD F401 |
Cultural Knowledge of Native Elders |
3 |
|
ANS/ED F461 |
Native Ways of Knowing |
3 |
|
ECON F434 |
Environmental Economics |
3 |
|
ENGL/ACNS F499 |
Northern and Environmental Literature |
3 |
|
GEOG F423 |
Geopolitics of Energy |
3 |
|
GEOG/ACNS F429 |
Geography of the Arctic and Circumpolar North |
3 |
|
HONR F125 |
Our Changing Climate: Past, Present, Future |
3 |
|
NRM F101 |
Natural Resources Conservation and Policy |
3 |
|
NRM F111 |
Introduction to Sustainability Science |
3 |
|
NRM F303X |
Environmental Ethics and ACtions |
3 |
|
NRM F403 |
Environmental Decision-Making |
3 |
|
NRM F407 |
Environmental Law |
3 |
|
NRM/GEOG/CCS F454 |
Comparative Farming and Sustainable Food Systems |
3 |
|
PS F447 |
U.S. Environmental Politics |
3 |
|
PS F458 |
Comparative Environmental Politics |
3 |
|
RD F265 |
Perspectives on Subsistence in ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ |
3 |
|
RD F300 |
Rural Development in a Global Perspective |
3 |
|
RD F465 |
Community Healing and Wellness |
3 |


