Self-Directed Undergraduate Climate Education

This self-directed undergraduate education tab is for people interested in climate electives but who may not have the time for the climate science minor. We encourage students to start with courses that teach the basics of climate systems. Then find classes from as many different focus areas that are applicable to your interests or that you are able to fit in your schedule. We strive to continually update the list, so if you know of a class that should be here, let us know by email uwpcc@uw.edu .

There is a wealth of opportunity at UW to learn and define your own path. We hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunity to expand your learning and skills. We are happy to provide guidance, fill out this form to set up a meeting with an adviser!

Our goal is to contribute to building a climate literate society that is engaged in addressing climate change

Foundational to developing sustainable solutions is an understanding of the basics of radiation balance and the greenhouse effect and how the carbon cycle works.

Recommended for all undergraduates, one of:

Basics of Climate Change and the Carbon Cycle

Below are four groupings of classes from across UW Seattle Campus. Each represents a different way of thinking and learning about climate. These will be updated regularly as new classes are introduced.

Cycles, Systems, Modeling and Computation

Develop a deeper understanding of one or more of the earth and climate systems while gaining key analytical skills.

Impacts, Management, Mitigation and Adaptation

Gain an understanding of how warming is impacting ecosystems and human systems, imagine what more could be done to reduce atmospheric CO2, and how cities, states and countries are adapting to a warming planet.

Politics, Humanities, Communications, Social Science and Ethics

Go beyond the scientific understanding and technical solutions to explore the human elements of addressing climate change. From individual to global actions.

Energy and Solutions

Explore energy and engineering solutions and dream up the next big idea that will move society toward a stable climate.

The climate related courses listed above use the following structure and indicators for important course information:

Bolded courses are currently coded in DARS to count towards the climate science minor requirements. Most others can also count towards the minor but would require an exception request to DARS from the climate science minor advisor.

Courses with a star* indicate there are required prerequisites which you can find listed in the linked departmental course descriptions.

All courses note course code followed by credits and name. Each is linked to their departmental pages with further descriptions and information.

Trying to do course planning? Please use our quarterly climate course archive for a record of which quarters and time slots courses were offered in the past.

100 and 200 level climate courses in the College of the Environment

UW W Logo Program on Climate Change