Climate impacts global environmental and ecological systems, human health, water availability, agricultural systems and food security, human migrations, and economic systems. Future climate change is projected to further worsen food insecurity, water scarcity, human migrations, and global conflict.
This major is designed to give the students a solid foundation on how the climate system works and competency in areas of data analysis, planning and mitigation, and science communication. Students will take core courses in climate science and complementary areas, and select at least one focus area for additional specialization. Focus areas include: advanced climate science; data visualization; design and planning for sustainability; food, agriculture and biodiversity; policy and human behavior; and science communication.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Graduates of the Climate Science degree will have the skills and knowledge to:
- Understand scientific principles and their application to scientific inquiry and to societal concerns relating to climate science.
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the climate system, how it works on multiple timescales, and the utility of tools, such as models, and their strengths and limitations in the context of climate science.
- Demonstrate a broad understanding of climate issues and policies.
- Think critically about the range of climate information, data, and literature coming from a variety of sources and distill application-relevant knowledge.
- Demonstrate proficiency in data analysis and problem-solving of relevant climate systems, issues, and challenges.
- Understand societal concerns related to climate change to develop and/or promote practical and applied research within the climate change research community.
- Work with diverse teams whose members have a range of professional and disciplinary skills relevant to climate issues.
- Work to identify climate-related needs and develop strategies to address these needs.
- Use systems thinking approaches to better understand/solve climate change issues.
- Effectively communicate in oral, written, and visual formats.
Climate Science Core Curriculum
| C R P 293 | Environmental Planning | 3 |
| or SOC 220 | Globalization and Sustainability | |
| ECON 380 | Energy, Environmental and Resource Economics | 3 |
| GEOL 100 | How the Earth Works | 3 |
| or GEOL 101 | Environmental Geology: Earth in Crisis | |
| GEOL 100L | How the Earth Works: Laboratory | 1 |
| GEOL 324 | Energy and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOL 415 | Paleoclimatology | 3 |
| JL MC 347 | Science Communication | 3 |
| MTEOR 140 | Climate and Society | 3 |
| MTEOR 206 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 |
| MTEOR 360 | Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions | 3 |
| MTEOR 404 | Global Change | 3 |
| Capstone Choice | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Required Supporting Courses
| CHEM 163 & 163L | College Chemistry and Laboratory in College Chemistry * | 5-6 |
| or CHEM 167 & 167L | General Chemistry for Engineering Students and Laboratory in General Chemistry for Engineering | |
| or CHEM 201 & 201L | Advanced General Chemistry and Laboratory in Advanced General Chemistry | |
| ECON 101 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| MATH 160 | Survey of Calculus (MATH 165 required for Advanced Climate Science Pathway) | 4 |
| or MATH 165 | Calculus I | |
| PHYS 131 & 131L | General Physics I and General Physics I Laboratory | 5 |
| or PHYS 231 & 231L | Introduction to Classical Physics I and Introduction to Classical Physics I Laboratory | |
| STAT 305 | Engineering Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 101 | Principles of Statistics | |
| or STAT 104 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| Total Credits | 20-21 | |
- *
Students with previously earned credit for CHEM 177 and CHEM 177L may use it to meet this requirement.
Pathway Requirement
Students must complete one specialized pathway. All pathways require at least 15 credits; students choosing the Advanced Climate Science Pathway will complete 20 credits. All pathways require 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. Students are encouraged to carefully review course prerequisites when planning course selections in their chosen pathways.
- Advanced Climate Science
- Data Visualization
- Design and Planning for Sustainability
- Food, Agriculture and Biodiversity
- Policy and Human Behavior
- Science Communication
Advanced Climate Science
| Advanced Climate Science requires MATH 166; PHYS 132 or PHYS 232; plus 12 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| PHYS 132 | General Physics II | 4 |
| or PHYS 232 | Introduction to Classical Physics II | |
| 12 credits from the following: | ||
| AGRON 405 | Soil-Plant-Animal-Atmosphere Physics | 3 |
| AGRON 406 | World Climates | 3 |
| GEOL 402 | Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| GEOL 411 | Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEOL 452 | Intro GIS for Geoscientists (or other advanced GIS course such as GEOL 488) | 3 |
| GEOL 468 | Applied Geostatistics for Geoscientists | 3 |
| GEOL 474 | Glacial and Quaternary Geology | 3 |
| GEOL 479 | Surficial Processes | 3 |
| GEOL 483 | Environmental Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| GEOL 489 | Survey of Remote Sensing Technologies | 3 |
| MTEOR 227 | Computational Meteorology I (or other computer programming course such as GEOL 559) | 3 |
| MTEOR 301 | General Meteorology | 4 |
| MTEOR 341 | Atmospheric Physics I | 3 |
| MTEOR 408X | Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction | 3 |
| MTEOR 452 | Climate Modeling | 3 |
Data Visualization
| Data Visualization requires 15 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| ARCH 439 | Computational Design Theory | 3 |
| ARTIS 212 | Studio Fundamentals: Digital Media | 3 |
| ARTIS 308 | Computer Modeling, Rendering and Virtual Photography | 3 |
| ARTIS 408 | Principles of 3D Animation | 3 |
| ARTIS 470X | Data, Code, and Form | 3 |
| ARTIS 473 | Video Art | 3 |
| ARTIS 475 | Interactive Art | 3 |
| C R P 251 | Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| C R P 351 | Intermediate Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| C R P 449 | Geodesign: Planning for Sustainable Futures | 3 |
| C R P 456 | GIS Programming and Automation | 3 |
| GEOL 452 | Intro GIS for Geoscientists | 3 |
| GEOL 488 | Raster GIS for Geoscientists | 3 |
| L A 211 | Digital Design Methods for Landscape Architecture | 3 |
| L A 454 | Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis | 3 |
| L A 459 | Digital Design Methods for Landscape Architecture | 3 |
| STAT 332 | Visual Communication of Quantitative Information | 3 |
Design and Planning for Sustainability
| Design and Planning for Sustainability requires 15 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| ARCH 451 | Whole Building Energy Performance Modeling | 3 |
| ARCH 558 | Sustainability and Green Architecture | 3 |
| C R P 251 | Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| C R P 291 | World Cities and Globalization | 3 |
| C R P 293 | Environmental Planning | 3 |
| C R P 301 | Urban Analytical Methods | 4 |
| C R P 351 | Intermediate Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| C R P 383 | Theory of the Planning Process | 3 |
| C R P 445 | Transportation Policy and Planning | 3 |
| C R P 449 | Geodesign: Planning for Sustainable Futures | 3 |
| C R P 455 | Smart and Sustainable Cities | 3 |
| C R P 457 | Geogames for Civic Engagement | 3 |
| C R P 460 | Social Justice and Planning | 3 |
| C R P 484 | Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| C R P 492 | Planning Law, Administration and Implementation | 3 |
| GEOL 452 | Intro GIS for Geoscientists | 3 |
| GEOL 488 | Raster GIS for Geoscientists | 3 |
| L A 270 | Foundations in Natural Resource Policy and History | 3 |
Food, Agriculture and Biodiversity
| Food, Agriculture and Biodiversity requires 15 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| A ECL 231 | Principles of Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation | 3 |
| A ECL 471 | Introductory Conservation Biology | 3 |
| AGRON 180 | Global Agriculture in a Changing World | 3 |
| AGRON 181 | Introduction to Crop Science | 3 |
| AGRON 182 | Introduction to Soil Science | 3 |
| AGRON 316 | Crop Structure-Function Relationships | 3 |
| AGRON 317 | Principles of Weed Science | 3 |
| AGRON 334 | Forage Crop Management | 3 |
| AGRON 342 | World Food Issues: Past and Present | 3 |
| AGRON 405 | Soil-Plant-Animal-Atmosphere Physics | 3 |
| AGRON 406 | World Climates | 3 |
| BIOL 204 | Biodiversity | 2 |
| BIOL 211 | Principles of Biology I | 3 |
| BIOL 312 | Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 355 | Plants and People | 3 |
| BIOL 366 | Plant Systematics | 4 |
| BIOL 370 | GIS for Ecology and Environmental Science | 3 |
| or NREM 446 | Integrating GPS and GIS for Natural Resource Management | |
| ENT 370 | Insect Biology | 3 |
| or A ECL 366 | Natural History of Iowa Vertebrates | |
| or BIOL 354 | Animal Behavior | |
| ENT 374 | Insects and Our Health | 3 |
| ENT 471 | Insect Ecology | 3 |
| GLOBE 304 | Socio-Economic Global Resource Systems | 3 |
| GLOBE 360 | Global Health | 3 |
| HORT 342 | Landscape Plant Installation, Establishment, and Management | 3 |
| HORT 475 | Urban Forestry | 3 |
| NREM 301 | Natural Resource Ecology and Soils | 4 |
| NREM 311 | Field Ecology in Montana | 4 |
| NREM 390 | Fire Ecology and Management | 3 |
| NREM 452 | Ecosystem Management | 3 |
Policy and Human Behavior
| Policy and Human Behavior requires POL S 283 plus 12 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| POL S 283 | Introduction to Environmental Politics and Policies | 3 |
| 12 credits from the following: | ||
| HIST 362 | Global Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 363 | U. S. Environmental History | 3 |
| PHIL 230 | Moral Theory and Practice | 3 |
| PHIL 330 | Ethical Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 334 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| POL S 335 | Science, Technology, and Public Policy | 3 |
| POL S 344 | Public Policy | 3 |
| POL S 443 | Energy Policy | 3 |
| POL S 480 | Ethics and Public Policy | 3 |
| PSYCH 318 | Judgment and Decision Making | 3 |
| SOC 220 | Globalization and Sustainability | 3 |
| SOC 382 | Environmental Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 331 | Social Class and Inequality | 3 |
| SOC 348 | Global Poverty, Resources and Sustainable Development | 3 |
Science Communication
| Science Communication requires 15 credits from the choices listed. The pathway requires 9 credits at the 300-level or higher. | ||
| BPM I 323 | Scientific Illustration Principles and Techniques | 3 |
| BPM I 326 | Illustration and Illustration Software | 3 |
| BPM I 327 | Illustration as Communication | 3 |
| COMST 327 | Persuasion and Social Influence | 3 |
| ENGL 332 | Visual Communication of Quantitative Information | 3 |
| ENGL 355 | Literature and the Environment | 3 |
| ENGL 477 | Seminar in Technical Communication | 3 |
| JL MC 260 | Media Controversies in Science and Technology | 3 |
| JL MC 401 | Mass Communication Theory | 3 |
| JL MC 474 | Communication Technology and Social Change | 3 |
| JL MC 476 | World Communication Systems | 3 |
| PHIL 206 | Introduction to Logic and Scientific Reasoning | 3 |
| P R 220 | Principles of Public Relations | 3 |
| P R 305 | Publicity Methods | 3 |
| P R 323X | Strategic Communication in Agriculture and the Environment | 3 |
As majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Climate Science students must meet College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University-wide requirements for graduation in addition to those stated above for the major.
LAS majors require a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 300/400 level. You must also complete the LAS world language requirement.
Communication Proficiency requirement: According to the university-wide Communication Proficiency Grade Requirement, students must demonstrate their communication proficiency by earning a grade of C or better in ENGL 250.
Students in all ISU majors must complete a three-credit course in U.S. diversity and a three-credit course in international perspectives. Check (http://www.registrar.iastate.edu/courses/div-ip-guide.html) for a list of approved courses. Discuss with your advisor how the two courses that you select can be applied to your graduation plan.
Climate Science 4-Year Plan
This plan is an example only; students should discuss their graduation plan with their advisor.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GEOL 112 | 1 | GEOL 113 | 1 |
| MTEOR 140 | 3 | SOC 220 | 3 |
| GEOL 100 | 3 | CHEM 163 | 4 |
| GEOL 100L | 1 | CHEM 163L | 1 |
| STAT 101 | 4 | MTEOR 206 | 3 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | Arts and Humanities choice | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECON 101 | 3 | GEOL 324 | 3 |
| MATH 160 | 4 | ECON 380 | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | 3 | Arts and Humanities choice | 3 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Climate Science Pathway choice | 3 |
| PHYS 131 | 4 | U.S. Diversity choice | 3 |
| PHYS 131L | 1 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MTEOR 404 | 3 | MTEOR 360 | 3 |
| GEOL 415 | 3 | JL MC 347 | 3 |
| Climate Science Pathway choice (300+) | 3 | Climate Science Pathway choice (300+) | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities choice | 3 | Social Science choice | 3 |
| Elective (300+ level) | 3 | Elective (300+ level) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Climate Science Pathway choice (300+) | 3 | Climate Science Pathway choice | 3 |
| Elective (300+ level) | 3 | Climate Science Capstone Course | 2 |
| Arts and Humanities choice | 3 | Elective (300+ level) | 3 |
| Elective (300+ level) | 3 | Elective (300+ level) | 3 |
| World Language 101 choice/Elective | 3-4 | World Language 102 choice/Elective | 3-4 |
| 15-16 | 14-15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-122 | |||