Program Overview

Certificate in Climate Studies and Action

The Certificate in Climate Studies and Action is designed to give students an interdisciplinary understanding of the climate crisis and equip them to engage in effective climate responses. This certificate can be added to any UBC undergraduate degree and is open to all undergraduate students at UBC.

Program Description

The certificate aims to further climate education across all disciplines. Early classes cover climate science, the crises that led to declaring an emergency, and strategies to address it. Upper-level classes take a deeper look at climate justice, the social, economic, political, and cultural processes that underlie climate change, and include an elective class for students to deepen their knowledge in a specific area. Community-engaged learning, with a climate action focus, is embedded throughout the program, culminating in a capstone project.

Program Goals

The certificate aims to support and build future generations of climate researchers and community leaders by facilitating community-based learning alongside an academic curriculum. Students will learn how to assess the efficacy and equity of various climate solutions, experiment with strategies to identify leverage points for change, and engage in public dialogue about climate change.

Capstone Project

Each cohort of students participates in a Capstone project class where they work with community partners to tackle climate change-related issues and put their climate actions skills to use on real-world projects.

Admissions

Applications are open. A maximum 300-word statement of intent and a copy of the course plan must be included with the application submission.

Certificate Pathway and Requirements

Indigenous Strategic Plan

The University has completed the Self-Assessment process of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP) and provides updates on this work every year in annual progress reports.

Climate Studies IBPOC Student Support Fund

This fund provides assistance to undergraduate students from Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities of colour who are studying climate change at UBC.

Program Structure

• Undergraduate Certificates are small undergrad programs, similar to a minor.
  • A key difference is that all of a student's credits in the Certificate in Climate Studies and Action can also be applied to their primary degree program, if they are eligible in both places.
• Credits applicable towards an Academic-Credit Certificate Program may only be applied towards another Course of Study with the approval of Senate, the faculty or faculties offering the Course of Study, and the faculty or faculties offering the Academic-Credit Certificate Program.

Research Areas

• Climate science
• Climate justice
• Social, economic, political, and cultural processes that underlie climate change

Community Engagement

• Community-engaged learning with a climate action focus is embedded throughout the program.
• Students work with community partners to tackle climate change-related issues in the Capstone project class.