CLIMATE CHANGE STUDIES

Harbel College’s Climate Change Studies (CCS) program is the first undergraduate degree program of its kind in the nation. The CCS program offers students a unique opportunity to become engaged on the pressing issue of climate change - from multi-diciplinary coursework, studies, to study abroad and service learning opportunities.

Climate change is one of the most important and complex environmental problems encountered by humankind. It has become a significant policy problem in Liberia and internationally, and strategies to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate will be needed over many decades to come. The Program leading to BSc. in Climate Change Studies aims to create skilled professionals that can deal with this challenge. This program offers students unique breadth and diversity in addressing the multiple dimensions of the climate change problem through access to world-leading experts in climate change science and policy.

Program Description

Climate change will have many ecological, social and economic impacts. In many places those impacts are already being experienced. Important impacts involve water – water quantity, water quality, and the human and nonhuman systems that depend on associated ecosystem services. The nature and degree of vulnerability of these systems to climate change will vary in different geographic contexts, however, and will be determined in large part by human actions to mitigate their consequences. Understanding of the links between climate change, water and society demands integration and synthesis of information regarding hydrologic, atmospheric and socioeconomic systems, and the ability to evaluate different approaches to mitigation and adaptation. Such an understanding will inform decision making under uncertainty.

Students completing Bachelors of Science degree will be prepared for a variety of careers in different areas related to climate, including 1) research and technical fields, 2) outreach, education, and communication, and 3) policy and economics. All students will gain skills in the areas of basic science, data collection and analysis, in addition to a rigorous curriculum in climate science. A broad set of electives will allow students to pursue additional course work to prepare them in their specific areas of interest. Some students may choose to pursue advanced degrees in related disciplines, whereas others will enter the job market directly.

Once Core course requirements the National Commission on Higher Education (52 credits) and Harbel College common courses (18 credits) have been met, students then complete the major (68 credits) by specializing in the area where the degree is sought:

Specializations Requirements(click pdf below)