2026-2027 Academic Catalog

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Blue Planet (BLPL) Minor

Required Foundational Course
GEOG/WATR 2004Water, Environment, and Society (Pathway 3 and Pathways Outcome 10 - Ethical Reasoning)3
Subtotal3
Specialization Options
Choose one specialization (Water and Society or Water Science) (9 credits)9-10
Water and Society Specialization
Water Resources Policy and Economics (Pathway 3 and Pathway 7 and Pathways Outcome 10 - Ethical Reasoning)
Select one course (three credits)
Economics of the Food and Fiber System (Pathway 3 and Pathways Outcome 11 - Intercultural and Global Awareness)
Principles of Economics (Pathway 3 and Pathways Outcome 10 - Ethical Reasoning)
Select one course (three credits)
Leadership for Global Sustainability (Pathway 2 and Pathway 3 and Pathways Outcome 10 - Ethical Reasoning and Pathways Outcome 11 - Intercultural and Global Awareness)
American Environmental History (Pathway 2 and Pathway 3 and Pathways Outcome 10 - Ethical Reasoning)
OR
Water Science Specialization
Principles of Watershed Hydrology
Select one course (three or four credits)
Elementary Calculus (Pathway 5f)
Calculus of a Single Variable (Pathway 5f)
Select one course (three or four credits)
Elementary Calculus (Pathway 5f)
Calculus of a Single Variable (Pathway 5f)
Subtotal9-10
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
Seeking Sustainability
Introduction to Coastal Regions
Environmental Justice, Resources and Development
Interdisciplinary Issues and Ethics in Water Resources
Oceanography
Land Use and Environment: Planning and Policy
Total Credits20-21

Graduation Requirements

Completion of 20 Credit Hours Required for Minor

Notes:

  1. All courses for the Blue Planet Pathways 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 Pathways 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.
  5. Students are advised to select at least one course within the minor that satisfies the Intercultural and Global Awareness Pathways outcome.

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

Pathways Integrative Concepts:

10 = Ethical Reasoning

11 = Intercultural and Global Awareness