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A group of Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ explore Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park during the department’s yearly trip, Mountains are in the background with the blue lake in the foreground.

Climate Change Studies

Degree Requirements

Climate Change Studies is an interdisciplinary minor program open to all majors. The Climate Change Studies minor requires Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ to complete 21 total credits: a three-credit interdisciplinary, team-taught introductory course and 6 credits in each of the science, society and solution areas listed below.

To provide Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with flexibility and appeal to a diversity of interests, each area has a variety of courses to choose from, several of which will fulfill UM General Education requirements. Students can choose any course in each of the three areas, totaling at least six credits.

CCS Courses

  • Introduction to Climate Change: Science and Society

    CCS 103X, 3 cr, Fall semester

    This is an introductory and foundational course on the scientific and social dimensions of global climate change. The course provides Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with a breadth of knowledge that builds connections across the scientific, social, political, psychological, and technological dimensions of this complex global issue. This course counts for General Education credit in the “X” perspective. It is open to all Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and required for the Climate Change Studies minor. There is also a section for Honors Ñý¼§Ö±²¥.

  • The climate change science area introduces Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ to the basic processes by which the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and cryosphere interact to produce and respond to climatic change. Students choose any six credits from the following courses (each 3 credits unless otherwise specified):

    • Science of Climate Change: NRSM 281
    • Weather and Climate: ERTH 303N
    • Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation: GHPY 111N
    • Energy and the Environment: GEO 322
    • Atmospheric Composition: CHMY 491
    • Global Cycles and Climate: NRSM 408 (UG)
    • Ecosystem Climatology: NRSM 418 (UG)
    • Seminar in Paleoclimatology: GPHY 525 *Open to seniors
    • Earth's Changing Climate: GEOS 318
    • Snow, Ice, and Climate: GEOS 488
    • Climate Sensitivity and Feedbacks: GEOS 568

  • The climate change and society area provides Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with the opportunity to evaluate the social, political, economic, and ethical dimensions of climate change at the local, national, and international levels. Students choose any six credits from the following courses: 

    • Intro to Ethics and the Environment: PHIL 112E
    • Climate Change Ethics & Policy: NRSM 349E
    • Communication, Consumption, & Climate: COMX 349
    • Climate & Society: NRSM 426
    • International Environmental Economics & Climate Change: ECNS 445 (Prereq., ECNS 201S)
    • Environmental Ethics: Global Climate Change & Visions for a Sustainable Future (Wild Rockies Field Institute): PHIL 323
    • Social Issues: Mekong Delta: ENST 427/514
      • Required for the May field course in Vietnam (ENST 437/516)
    • Literature and Climate Change: LIT 491
    • Petromodernity: LIT 491
    • Climate Policy: NRSM 428
    • Policy Analysis: PUAD 503 (by permission from instructor)
    • Climate Change and Media: JRNL 291
    • Earth Lit: ENST 335L
    • Economics of the Environment: ECNS 433
    • Southwest Climate Studio Art (Wild Rockies Field Institute): ARTZ 395
    • Vector-Borne Diseases: Public Health Perspectives: BIOM 327
    • Energy Conflict in a Changing Climate: GBLD 194
    • Food Justice and Sustainability: ENST 480

  • The climate change solutions area creates opportunities for Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ to study and engage in solutions to global climate change. Course options range from studies of clean energy technology and sustainable business to internships and other applied coursework that engages Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ in solutions to climate change. Students choose six credits from the following courses, with at least one course taken in category A, which requires practical application:

    Category A
    • Climate Change Internship/Service Learning: CCS 398, 2-4 cr., arrange with instructor
    • Climate Change Practicum: CCS 395, 2-4 cr., arrange with instructor
    • Community Sustainability in Practice: ENST 476
    • Cycle the Rockies (Wild Rockies Field Institute): NRSM 321 / ENST 395
    • Southwest Climate Studio Art (Wild Rockies Field Institute): CCS 391
    • Climate Change: The Mekong Delta: ENTS 437/516
    • QUEST (Variable): HONR 495
    Category B
    • Issues in Sustainability: BGEN 160S
    • Energy and Climate: HONR 394
    • Sustainable Cities: GPHY 421
    • Sustainable Business Practices: BMGT 410
    • Sustainability Reporting: BGEN 445
    • Planetary Health: AHHS 491
    • Biomimicry: HONR 394
    • Climate Change, Mental Health, and Resilience: HONR 394

Advising

Students interested in the Climate Change Studies minor should meet with the program director, Peter McDonough, who will advise Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ on planning their course sequence, register them into the minor, and sign their application for a minor the semester before they graduate.

Contact Program Coordinator Peter McDonough at peter.mcdonough@umontana.edu.

Program Overview 
Provides a summary of degree requirements and available courses