Program Overview

Climate Science, BS

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS)

Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Climate Science

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Edmund Kar-Man Chang

Undergraduate Advisor: Nancy Black

Advising Office: E2361 Melville Library

Phone:

Advising email:

Department Website

An understanding of climate science is essential to the interpretation of climate variations and change, as well as the assessment of their impacts on diverse human populations and ecological systems. The Stony Brook Climate Science program prepares students to be climate professionals who can help develop and implement strategies for mitigation of, as well as adaptation to, adverse impacts of climate change. Students in this program learn basic scientific information on processes in the atmosphere and the ocean that drive climate change and are informed about current and anticipated climate impacts and possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. Students learn about threats to coastal environments, economic and social impacts of climate and how the various aspects of climate have evolved over the history of the Earth.

A key aspect of climate science is the emergence of very large and increasing amounts of data about the atmosphere, the ocean, human and animal populations in diverse environments and multiple parts of the global ecosystems. There are extensive data on extreme events like hurricanes, floods and drought and on human, animal and plant health. Earth System Models generate expected future changes in all aspects of the climate system. The students in this program become familiar with the types of data available, learn quantitative skills for analyzing climate data from observations and model simulations to discern trends and possible future scenarios.

The curriculum is designed to meet the current needs of employers in climate applications. This gives our students confidence that their studies are pertinent to building a rewarding career which would be relevant to society’s crucial needs.

Degree Requirements

The major in Climate Science leads to the Bachelor of Science degree. Completion of the Climate Science major requires a minimum of 65 credits. Of these, no more than one course (4 credits) with a P or a passing grade below C can be credited to the major.

I. Foundation Courses (19-23 credits)

• AMS 102 - Elements of Statistics (3 credits) (see Note 1)
• MAT 131 - Calculus I (4 credits) AND
• MAT 132 - Calculus II (4 credits) (see Note 2)
• CHE 131 - General Chemistry IB (4 credits) (see Note 3)
• ENS 119 - Physics for Environmental Studies (4 credits) OR
• PHY 119 - Physics for Environmental Studies (4 credits) (see Note 4)
• ENS 101 - Prospects for Planet Earth (3 credits) OR
• SUS 111 - Introduction to Sustainability (3 credits) OR
• ECO 108 - Introduction to Economics (4 credits) OR
• ECO 110 - Introduction to Microeconomics (3 credits)

Notes

1. AMS 110, AMS 310, ECO 320, POL 201, PSY 201, or SOC 202 may be substituted for AMS 102.
2. AMS 151/AMS 161 or MAT 125/MAT 126/MAT 127 may be substituted for MAT 131/MAT 132.
3. CHE 129/CHE 130 or CHE 152 may be substituted for CHE 131.
4. PHY 121, PHY 125, PHY 131, or PHY 141 may be substituted for ENS 119/PHY 119.

II. Required Departmental Courses (46 Credits)

A. Basics of Climate Science (15 credits)

• ATM 201 - Introduction to Climate and Climate Change (3 credits)
• ATM 205 - Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences (3 credits)
• ATM 305 - Global Atmospheric Change (3 credits)
• ATM 397 - Air Pollution and Global Warming (3 credits)
• MAR 333 - Coastal Oceanography (3 credits)

B. Sustainable Climate Change (15 credits)

• Five courses from the choices below:
  • EDP 302 - Sustainable Planning and Development (3 credits)
  • ENS 301 - Contemporary Environmental Issues and Policies (3 credits)
  • ENV 304 - Global Environmental Change (3 credits)
  • ENV 316 - Coastal Zone Management (3 credits)
  • SUS 200 - Human Settlement: History and Future (3 credits)
  • SUS 206 - Economics and Sustainability (3 credits)
  • SUS 305 - Collective Action and Advocacy (3 credits)
  • SUS 307 - Environmental Economics and Management (3 credits)
  • SUS 317 - American Environmental History (3 credits)
  • SUS 323 - Environmental Justice (3 credits)
  • SUS 343 - Age of the Anthropocene (3 credits)
  • SUS 366 - Philosophy of the Environment (III) (3 credits) OR
  • PHI 366 - Philosophy of the Environment (III) (3 credits)

C. Problem Solving Skills (16 credits)

• ATM 320 - Problem Solving with Python (3 credits)
• GSS 313 - GIS Design and Application I (3 credits)
• GSS 314 - GIS Laboratory (1 credit)
• MAR 334 - Remote Sensing of the Environment (3 credits)
• Capstone Project (one of the following, research and internship topics should be climate-related and must be approved by the Division Director):
  • ATM 387 - Weather and Climate Data Analysis (3 credits)
  • ATM 487 - Senior Research in Atmospheric Sciences (0-6 credits)
  • ATM 488 - Internship (0-6 credits)
  • MAR 487 - Research in Marine Sciences (0-6 credits)
  • MAR 488 - Internship (0-6 credits)
  • SUS 487 - Research in Sustainability (0-6 credits)
  • SUS 488 - Internship in Sustainability Studies (0-12 credits)

D. Upper Division Writing Requirement

• The advanced writing component of the major in Climate Science requires registration in, and satisfactory completion of the 0-credit MAR 459 or SUS 459 (S/U grading) along with enrollment in an approved advanced course that entails writing of either a term paper or a laboratory report. Completion of MAR 459 with a grade of S will also result in fulfillment of the WRTD requirement. A list of preapproved courses can be obtained through the department.

Climate Sciences Honors Program

Graduation with departmental honors in Climate Science requires the following:

1. Students are eligible to participate in the Honors Program if they have a 3.50 GPA in all courses for the major by the end of the junior year. Students should apply to the SoMAS undergraduate director for permission to participate.
2. Students must prepare an honors thesis based on a research project written in the form of a paper for a scientific journal. A student interested in becoming a candidate for honors should submit an outline of the proposed thesis research project to the SoMAS undergraduate director as early as possible, but no later than the second week of classes in the last semester. The student will be given an oral examination in May on his or her research by his or her research supervisor and the undergraduate research committee. The awarding of honors requires the recommendation of this committee and recognizes superior performance in research and scholarly endeavors. The written thesis must be submitted before the end of the semester in which the student is graduating.
3. If the student maintains a GPA of 3.5 in all courses in their major through senior year and receives a recommendation by the undergraduate research committee, he or she will receive departmental honors.

Sample Course Sequence

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior