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 Alaska 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 Alaska 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.

table of NS courses   table of SS/ANS/HUMS courses