At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Climate and Environmental Change Certificate is intended for students seeking to understand the spatial patterns and physical processes of climate change and variability, and to hone their skills of environmental data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Upon completing this certificate, students will be able to explain the environmental processes and patterns associated with climate change; identify and distinguish between natural climate variations and observed processes of climate change; utilize data from field experiments, satellite and aerial imagery, observation archives, and computer modeling to analyze climate change patterns across space.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Required Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| GEOG 310 | Introduction to Global Climatic Systems | 3 |
| or GEOG 310W | Introduction to Global Climatic Systems | |
| Select 9-10 credits from the following (may not choose more than 1 course from GEOG 362, GEOSC 482, or METEO 477) | 9-10 | |
| Modeling the Earth System | ||
| Remote Sensing and Image Analysis | ||
GEOG 410 | ||
| Climatic Change and Variability | ||
| Satellite Climatology | ||
| Human Dimensions of Global Warming | ||
| Geology of Climate Change | ||
| Risk Analysis in the Earth Sciences | ||
| Satellite Remote-Sensing For Earth Observation | ||
| Radiation and Climate | ||
| From Meteorology to Mitigation: Understanding Global Warming | ||
| Climate Dynamics | ||
| Fundamentals of Remote Sensing Systems | ||
Non-Course Requirements
Prerequisites not included in certificate:
- EARTH 402 Prerequisites: (EARTH 2 or EARTH 103) and (CHEM 110) and (MATH 83 or MATH 110 or MATH 140)
- GEOG 310/GEOG 310W Prerequisite: GEOG 10 or GEOG 210 or METEO 3 or METEO 101 or METEO 201
- GEOG 362 Prerequisite: GEOG 160 or GEOG 260
- GEOSC 450 Prerequisites: introductory Earth Science or Geosciences course and introductory statistics course and (MATH 110 or MATH 140)
- METEO 436 Prerequisite: METEO 300, concurrent: METEO 431
- METEO 469 Prerequisite: STAT 200 or MATH 110 or MATH 140
- METEO 470 Prerequisites: METEO 300, METEO 421, METEO 431
- METEO 477 Prerequisite: METEO 436 or EE 330
Per University policy, all credit courses for a certificate require a grade of 'C' or higher, and at least two-thirds (2/3) of the credits used to complete a certificate must be earned at Penn State. If student is completing multiple certificates in Geography (including Global & Environmental Change), no more than one (1) course may double-count for each.
Certificate Learning Objectives
- Climate Change Patterns & Processes: Students will understand the environmental processes and patterns associated with climate change.
- Analyze Natural & Human-Induced Climate Change: Students will identify and distinguish between natural climate variations and observed processes of climate change.
- Data Analysis and Modeling: Students will utilize data from field experiments, satellite and aerial imagery, observation archives, and computer modeling to analyze climate change patterns across space.
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Jodi Vender
Undergraduate Advising Coordinator
305 Walker Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-5730
advising@geog.psu.edu
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
302 Walker Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-3433
geography@psu.edu