Climate Science Minor Requirements

For information on overlapping courses between the Climate Minor and a given Major

Overview

  • Minimum of 25 credits with a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses applied to the minor
  • Minimum 15 credits taken through the UW, and 18 credits outside student’s major
  • Minimum 15 upper division credits
  • Course marked with a star (*) require a DARS exception, please contact the Climate Minor Advisor
  • Some courses may be listed in multiple categories, however, any individual course is not allowed to meet more than one requirement.

Climate Minor Requirements

Core Requirement (3-5 credits)

One of the following:

Course Code Course Title Credits Pre-reqs/Notes
ESS 201 Earth’s Climate System 3 Either MATH 124, MATH 134, or Q SCI 291; recommended: An introductory background in earth sciences, chemistry or physics is helpful, but not required
ATMOS 211 Climate and Climate Change 5
ATMOS 321 The Science of Climate 3 A minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 126 and PHYS 123

 

Integrated Capstone Experience (3 credits)

Required capstone:

Course Code Course Title Credits Pre-reqs/Notes
ATMOS/ESS/OCEAN 475 Current Research in Climate Science Seminar 3 Either ESS 201, ATMOS 211, or ATMOS 321. Last offered at Winter 2026

 

Quantitative Requirement (3-5 credits)

 

Electives (3 or more courses)

At least one course from each of at least three of the four categories below to reach 25 credits

Contact your major adviser to declare the minor and integrate the courses into your academic plan.

Subscribe to the Climate Minor mailman list to get notices about climate-related events, updates to the minor, and course offerings related to climate.

General UW information on minors

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