The undergraduate certificate in Climate Change Geographies trains students for careers that address the varied challenges of climate change from local to global scales. Through the program’s curriculum, students will advance their understanding of the social and natural processes of climate change and develop the knowledge and skills needed to tackle issues at the intersection of the physical and human dimensions of climate change. This program is rooted in expertise on climate change research and instruction within UGA’s Department of Geography and expands broadly to provide connections with scientific, economic, and political fields of study across the UGA’s campus. In completing the certificate, students will be prepared to apply an array of geographical and critical thinking skills to solve real-world problems aimed at contributing to a more just and sustainable future in a changing climate. The certificate requirements include two core courses on the physical and human geographies of climate change, one Geography elective selected from an array of topics to be tailored to the student’s needs, and one elective from a list of those available across campus to broaden the student’s perspective (12 total credit hours). Students will also participate in an annual knowledge and cohort building event with the certificate coordinator from the year they declare the certificate until the year of graduation that includes a written assessment examining the program’s learning outcomes and integration of the student’s knowledge across courses. Program of Study This is a 12-hour curriculum, designed to efficiently and effectively expose students to the social and physical aspects of climate change, centering a geographic perspective. Through two electives, students can tailor their focus with the help of the certificate coordinator. 1) Students must take one physical science course (3 credit hours): GEOG 3110 Climatology GEOG/ATSC 3180 Global Climate Change: Causes and Consequence 2 2) Students must take one social / policy course (3 credit hours): GEOG 3185 Climate Change Solutions GEOG 3670 Geographies of Climate Justice 3) Students must take one GEOG/ATSC elective (3 credit hours): ATSC/GEOG 4140 Satellite Climatology and Meteorology ATSC/GEOG 4150 Physical Climatology ATSC/GEOG 4155 Hydrometeorology ATSC/GEOG 4160 Applied Climatology in the Urban Environment ATSC/GEOG 4161 Environmental Microclimatology GEOG 3110 Climatology GEOG 3180 Global Climate Change: Causes and Consequences GEOG 3185 Climate Change Solutions GEOG 3670 Geographies of Climate Justice GEOG 4040 Global Environmental Change Past and Present GEOG 4180 Special Topics in Atmospheric Sciences 4) Students must take a second elective (3 credit hours). All courses listed above if not already taken, plus: AAEC 3050 Climate Change Economics and Policy ANTH 3090 Past Peoples, Present Climates ANTH 4035 Introduction to Dendrochronology CLAS 4190 Climate and Catastrophes in Antiquity ECOL 4120H Ecology of Global Climate Change (Honors) EHSC 4200 Global Climate Change and Public Health GEOL 4940L Volcanology and Volcano Petrology: Field, Experiments, and Modelling HIST 4442 The History of Oil: Energy, Labor, and Politics MARS/MATH 4730 Mathematics of Climate WMST 4770 Women, Gender, and Climate Justice 5) Students must participate in an annual knowledge and cohort building event: The coordinator of the certificate will be responsible for organizing a presentation, colloquium, workshop, and/or brown bag event every year to create a cohort feel. Students will submit a written assignment associated with the event and the program’s learning objectives to receive credit for attendance.
