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

  1. Add the Environmental Change minor to your bachelor's degree using the Registrar's Declaration of minor form.
  2. Select at least 15 credits from the two approved categories plus an additional course from either list, creating a  minimum 15 credits total: 
  3. 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.

Natural Science and Engineering
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

Social Sciences, Humanities and ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Native Studies
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