2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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Blue Planet (BLPL) Minor

Required Foundational Course
GEOG/WATR 2004Water, Environment, and Society (Pathway 3)3
Subtotal3
Specialization Options
Choose one specialization (Water and Society or Science of Water) (9 credits)9
Water and Society Specialization
Economics of the Food and Fiber System (Pathway 3)
Principles of Economics
Water Resources Policy and Economics (Pathway 3 and Pathway 7)
Leadership for Global Sustainability (Pathway 3 or Pathway 2)
American Environmental History
OR
Science of Water Specialization
Principles of Watershed Hydrology
Elementary Calculus (Pathway 5f)
Calculus of a Single Variable
Elementary Calculus (Pathway 5f)
Calculus of a Single Variable
Subtotal9
Required Capstone Course
ALS/WATR 4614Watershed Assessment, Management, and Policy2
REQUIRED NATURAL SCIENCES RESTRICTED ELECTIVE3
Choose ONE course from the following list:
Foundations of Environmental Science
Foundations of Environmental Science
Forest Ecosystems
Ecology of Appalachian Forests
Introduction to Earths Climate
Earth Science: Our Past, Present, and Future
Earth Resources, Society, and Environment
Climate History: Past, Present, and Future
Environment and Natural Systems
REQUIRED RESTRICTED ELECTIVE3
Choose ONE course from the following list:
Environmental Law
Water Supply and Sanitation in Developing Countries
Literature and the Environment
Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Environmental Data Science
Climate Change and the International Policy Framework
Forest Soil and Watershed Management
Introduction to Coastal Regions
Environmental Justice, Resources and Development
Interdisciplinary Issues and Ethics in Water Resources
Seeking Sustainability
Oceanography
Land Use and Environment: Planning and Policy
Total Credits20

Graduation Requirements

Completion of 20 Credit Hours Required for Minor

Notes:

  1. All courses for the Blue Planet minor must be taken A/F and be completed with a minimum in-minor GPA of 2.0. Any course taken to fulfill the Blue Planet minor will count towards the minor GPA.
  2. No more than 50% of the graded course credits required for the Blue Planet minor may be double-counted by a student in the Water: Resources, Policy, and Management major.
  3. A minimum of 6 hours of 3000/4000 level courses are required for the minor
  4. Courses may have prerequisites, corequisites, or other registration restrictions.  Please consult the Course Catalog, or Advising for more information

Key to Pathways Learning Core Outcomes:

1f = Foundational Discourse

1a = Advanced/Applied Discourse

2 = Critical Thinking in the Humanities

3 = Reasoning in the Social Sciences

4 = Reasoning in the Natural Sciences

5f = Foundational Quantitative and Computational Thinking

5a = Advances/Applied Quantitative and Computational Thinking

6 = Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts

7 = Critical Analysis of Equity and Identity in the United States