Overview

The undergraduate certificate in Applied Climate Science and Energy Technologies (ACSET) requires 18 s.h. of credit. Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.00 in work for the certificate. The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa. Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) students may earn the certificate when the undergraduate classification is primary.

The ACSET program takes a multidisciplinary approach, and its coursework has been coordinated and sequenced to provide a broad background in applied climate science and energy technologies as well as foundational knowledge in the area of weather and meteorology. Students should speak with the certificate coordinator about their intent to earn the certificate and declare the certificate program in MyUI. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisors and the ACSET coordinator to develop an individual plan of study that complements their degree program and career interests.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for the undergraduate certificate in ACSET include the following:

  • Students will be able to express fundamental physical principles of global warming and the mechanisms by which these lead to climate impacts.
  • Students will be knowledgeable about the pros, cons, and barriers for climate solutions, including emissions reduction, adaptation, and geoengineering solutions.
  • Students will be able to critically review written and verbal claims about climate change.
  • Students will be knowledgeable about the sensor technologies by which the climate system, climate forcing agent emissions, and the global atmosphere are monitored and measured.
  • Students will be equipped with the context understanding of and the literacy skills for climate science and engineering problems. They will be able to promote (and in some cases, conceive from the first principals) creative solutions to mitigate climate change and/or energy safety issues.

Requirements

Requirements for the undergraduate certificate in ACSET are as follows:

  • One core course, two courses on energy technology/climate impacts, two courses on analytical/statistical/applied coursework on climate, atmospheric, and energy systems.
  • 18 s.h. credits and maintain 2.0 GPA.
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