BS in Climate Science

The BS in Climate Science is intended for students who wish to pursue employment in a variety of fields related to consulting, risk quantification, (re)insurance, meteorology, environmental management, and/or government sector. Students commonly go on to pursue graduate study in Climate Science. The courses are intended to provide a strong foundation in the Climate System in the past, present, and future.

Program Requirements and Policies

  • For the BS degree in Climate Sciences, a total of fourteen (14) courses are required.
  • The Chemistry and Physics courses must be taken with labs.
  • In addition to the course requirements below, the following are strongly recommended:
    CHEM 2, PHY 2 or PHY 12, MATH 21, MATH 34, CS 10, and research/internship experience.

Course Requirements

Students must complete the following eleven (11) ECS courses:

  • ECS 1: Introduction to the Earth, Resources, and Environments
  • ECS 2: Introduction to the Earth, Resources, and Environments Lab
  • ECS 3: Introduction to Climate Science
  • ECS 52: Paleoclimate
  • ECS 56: Physical Oceanography
  • ECS 58: The Cryosphere
  • ECS 61: The Atmosphere
  • One course from:
    • ECS 32: Geomorphology OR
    • ECS 44: Geochemical Cycles OR
    • ECS 115: Quaternary and Glacial Geology
  • One course from:
    • ECS 62: Climate Modeling OR
    • ECS 64: Climate Math & Statistics
  • Two additional ECS courses, only one of which can be at a lower level than ECS 010, or pre-approved related fields courses.

Students must also complete the following 3 courses:

  • CHEM 1: General Chemistry I w/Lab OR CHEM 11: Expanded General Chemistry I w/Lab
  • PHY 1: Introduction to Physics I w/Lab OR PHY 11: General Physics I w/Lab
  • MATH 32: Calculus I