Climate Science Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
This program is available at the following location:
- Corvallis
The interdisciplinary Climate Science major focuses on the physical science of climate and climate change and its intersection with biological, social, political, and economic systems. The program emphasizes transferable skills, such as programming, data analysis and visualization, and written and oral communication, which are integrated throughout the curriculum. Students engage with a variety of topics within the coursework, including atmospheric science, oceanography, geology, and geography, with elective courses drawn from additional fields. Core courses emphasize active learning, and students demonstrate skills through independent research or internships. In the capstone course, students synthesize climate science knowledge with data analysis and communication skills to produce recommendations for a Pacific Northwest stakeholder regarding some aspect of regional climate. A broad set of electives encourages students to explore and deepen their understanding of complementary fields. With the need for climate scientists expected to increase as governments and businesses develop climate mitigation and adaptation plans, graduates of the program will be prepared for positions in state and local governments, utilities, consulting firms, non-profits, and private industry, as well as further study in graduate school.
Contact Information
Andrea Allan, Director
Climate Science Undergraduate Program
104 CEOAS Administration Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
Email: andrea.allan@oregonstate.edu
Major Code: 090
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Explain the physical, chemical, and biological processes that govern the climate system over a large range of time scales and how people influence the climate.
- Acquire, analyze, and interpret instrumental, proxy, and model data to characterize the climate system, detect climate change, identify causes of observed climate changes, and project future climate change. Identify and evaluate sources of uncertainty in these observations and projections.
- Evaluate risks of climate change impacts, identify natural and human systems vulnerable to climate change, and assess the options for mitigating and adapting to those impacts.
- Communicate climate science in an effective manner to a variety of audiences, including stakeholders and the general public.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Math and Science Foundation | ||
| MTH 251Z | +*DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS | 4 |
| MTH 252Z | INTEGRAL CALCULUS | 4 |
| MTH 254 | VECTOR CALCULUS I | 4 |
| or ATS 302 | MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS IN THE EARTH SCIENCES | |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| PH 211 | +*GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS 1 | 4-5 |
| or PH 201 | +*GENERAL PHYSICS | |
| PH 212 | *GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS 1 | 4-5 |
| or PH 202 | *GENERAL PHYSICS | |
| CH 221Z & CH 227Z | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I and +*GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY 1 | 5 |
| or CH 121 | +GENERAL CHEMISTRY | |
| CH 222Z & CH 228Z | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II and *GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY 1 | 5 |
| or CH 122 | *GENERAL CHEMISTRY | |
| Climate System Foundation | ||
| GEO 202 | +*EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | 4 |
| GEOG 240 | +*HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | 3 |
| OC 201 | +*OCEANOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Writing Elevation | ||
| WR 227Z | +*TECHNICAL WRITING | 3-4 |
| or WR 362 | +*SCIENCE WRITING | |
| or WR 375 | +WRITING IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES | |
| Climate Science Core | ||
| ATS 201 | +*CLIMATE SCIENCE | 4 |
| ATS 295 | OBSERVING CLIMATE | 3 |
| ATS 301 | CLIMATE DATA ANALYSIS | 4 |
| ATS 310 | METEOROLOGY | 4 |
| ATS 420 | CLIMATE PHYSICS | 4 |
| ATS 421 | CLIMATE MODELING | 4 |
| ATS 441 | ^NORTHWEST CLIMATE AND WEATHER | 4 |
| GEO 484 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOGEOCHEMISTRY | 3 |
| GEO 486 | QUATERNARY PALEOCLIMATOLOGY | 3 |
| GEOG 333/ENSC 333 | +*ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| or SUS 331 | +*SUSTAINABILITY, JUSTICE, AND ENGAGEMENT | |
| GEOG 433 | CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, ADAPTATION AND VULNERABILITY | 3 |
| GEOG 453 | EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SCIENCE | 3 |
| Experiential Learning | ||
| OEAS 497 | +RESEARCH IN EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| or OEAS 498 | +INTERNSHIP IN EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES | |
| Climate Science Electives | ||
| Select 21 credits from any of the following categories: 2 | 21 | |
| Mitigation, Energy, and Climate Policy | ||
| +*INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ECONOMICS AND POLICY | ||
| ENERGY IN CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE | ||
| ECONOMICS OF TRADITIONAL AND RENEWABLE ENERGY | ||
| +*ENERGY ALTERNATIVES | ||
| *ENERGY, CLIMATE AND SOCIETY | ||
| INTEGRATED POLICY: FOOD, ENERGY, WATER, CLIMATE | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ENERGY POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| *THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | ||
| US ENERGY POLICY | ||
| RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY | ||
| Social Sciences and Humanities | ||
| *ARCTIC PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL PROBLEMS | ||
| RESILIENCE-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES | ||
| +OCEANS, COASTS, AND PEOPLE | ||
or OC 333 | *OCEANS, COASTS, AND PEOPLE | |
| *ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY | ||
or SOC 381 | SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY | |
| Related Physical and Biological Sciences | ||
| THERMODYNAMICS AND CLOUD MICROPHYSICS | ||
| ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION | ||
| ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS | ||
| WEATHER SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND FORECASTING | ||
| *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | ||
| FOREST ECOLOGY | ||
| +TOPICS IN WILDLAND FIRE | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ^CLIMATOLOGY | ||
| SNOW HYDROLOGY | ||
| GLACIERS IN THE CLIMATE SYSTEM | ||
| GLACIAL GEOLOGY | ||
| QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICA | ||
| CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| GEOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| CENOZOIC PALEOCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| PHYSICS OF CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES | ||
| Climate Skills | ||
| MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS IN THE EARTH SCIENCES (if not used above) | ||
| ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING COMPUTATION | ||
| GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | ||
| REMOTE SENSING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| VECTOR CALCULUS I (if not used above) | ||
| APPLIED DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS | ||
| LINEAR ALGEBRA I | ||
| SCIENTIFIC METHODS FOR ANALYZING NATURAL RESOURCE PROBLEMS | ||
| *GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | ||
| ^ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING | ||
| Remaining Core Ed and Electives | 63-66 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in a catalog year up to 2024-2025
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- ^
Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) course
- 1
PH 211, PH 212, CH 221Z/CH 227Z and CH 222Z/CH 228Z are preferred
- 2
Other courses may be taken with prior approval from the Climate Science Program Director
Major Code: 090
Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ATS 201 | +*CLIMATE SCIENCE | 4 |
| CH 221Z & CH 227Z or CH 121 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I or +GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 5 |
| WR 121Z | +*COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Core Ed: Transitions | 2 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| CH 222Z & CH 228Z or CH 122 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II or *GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 5 |
| GEOG 240 | +*HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | 3 |
| MTH 251Z | +*DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS | 4 |
| OC 201 | +*OCEANOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| MTH 252Z | INTEGRAL CALCULUS | 4 |
| Core Ed: Communication, Media & Society | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Arts & Humanities General | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| ATS 295 | OBSERVING CLIMATE (occurs before fall term) | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MTH 254 or ATS 302 | VECTOR CALCULUS I or MATHEMATICAL APPLICATIONS IN THE EARTH SCIENCES | 4 |
| PH 211 or PH 201 | +*GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS or +*GENERAL PHYSICS | 4-5 |
| WR 227Z | +*TECHNICAL WRITING or +*SCIENCE WRITING or +WRITING IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES | 3-4 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEO 202 | +*EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | 4 |
| PH 212 or PH 202 | *GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS or *GENERAL PHYSICS | 4-5 |
| Climate Science Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Core Ed: Difference, Power & Oppression Foundations | 3-4 | |
| Climate Science Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ATS 301 | CLIMATE DATA ANALYSIS | 4 |
| ATS 310 | METEOROLOGY | 4 |
| Core Ed: Arts & Humanities Global | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| ATS 420 | CLIMATE PHYSICS | 4 |
| GEO 484 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOGEOCHEMISTRY | 3 |
| OEAS 498 or OEAS 497 | +INTERNSHIP IN EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES or +RESEARCH IN EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ATS 421 | CLIMATE MODELING | 4 |
| GEOG 433 | CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, ADAPTATION AND VULNERABILITY | 3 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 453 | EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SCIENCE | 3 |
| GEOG 333/ENSC 333 or SUS 331 | +*ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE or +*SUSTAINABILITY, JUSTICE, AND ENGAGEMENT | 3 |
| Climate Science Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEO 486 | QUATERNARY PALEOCLIMATOLOGY | 3 |
| Core Ed: Seeking Solutions | 3-4 | |
| Climate Science Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ATS 441 | ^NORTHWEST CLIMATE AND WEATHER | 4 |
| Climate Science Elective | 3 | |
| Climate Science Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in a catalog year up to 2024-2025
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- ^
Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) course