Certificate in Climate Change
The Certificate in Climate Change Causes, Impacts, and Solutions gives students a foundational understanding of climate change’s causes, effects, and solutions so they can take action in their communities.
The program is open to students of all majors, and non-matriculated students as well. While some of the courses that count toward the certificate are in the sciences, the program is not exclusively for science majors. In fact, the program was designed so that students from any major can take any course — there are few to no prerequisites.
From Our Students
I think it's really important that we don't view a climate career as just something around the science of climate change or nonprofit work. I think working in urban planning, driving for public transit, [or] working at a sustainable and ethical fashion company can be climate careers as well. You can use the knowledge that you get in the Certificate program to challenge any workplace to be more sustainable and socially just.
Sam Montell
B.A. Environmental Studies, Climate Change Certificate
The Certificate Curriculum
Students must take 4 different courses, 1 in each of these 4 areas (for a minimum of 12 units):
| Course Name | Course Attributes | Advance Climate Justice course? |
| BIOL 318: Our Endangered Planet |
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| ENVS 130: Intro to Environmental Studies |
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| ERTH 335: Global Warming |
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| GEOG 160: Intro to Environmental Science |
|
|
| RRS 276: Race, Activism, & Climate Justice |
|
Yes |
| WGS 578: Women, Globalization, & Ecology | Yes |
| Course Name | Course Attributes | Advanced Climate Justice course? |
| BIOL 161: Climate Change and the Oceans | ||
| BIOL 300: Nature Study |
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| BIOL/ERTH 577: Climate and Ecological Interactions | ||
| BIOL 617 Environmental Physiology | ||
| BUS 450 Greening of Business | ||
| CHEM 380: Chemistry Behind Environmental Pollution |
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| COMM 572: Communication and Environmental Justice |
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Yes |
| ENVS 130: Intro to Environmental Studies |
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| ERTH 260: Physical Processes in the Atmosphere |
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| ERTH 335: Global Warming |
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| ERTH 365: Extreme Weather in a Warming World |
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| ERTH 535: Planetary Climate Change | ||
| GEOG 101: Our Physical Environment |
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| GEOG 160: Intro to Environmental Science |
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| GEOG 314: Bioclimatology | ||
| GEOG 435: Geography of Global Transportation | Yes | |
| GEOG 500GW: Physical & Human Dimensions of Climate Change |
|
Yes |
| GEOG 666: Geography of Garbage: Recycling and Waste Reduction |
|
Yes |
| IR/GEOG 428: International Political Economy of Food and Hunger | Yes | |
| IR 735: Seminar in Global Environmental Policy | Yes | |
| LS 401: International Development & Resource Justice |
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Yes |
| PHIL 470: Environmental Ethics |
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Yes |
| PLSI 354: Politics, the Environment, & Social Change |
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|
| RRS 276: Race, Activism, & Climate Justice |
|
Yes |
| USP 514: Sustainable Development |
|
Yes |
| WGS 593: Gender, Health & the Environment |
|
Yes |
| Course Name | Course Attributes | Advanced Climate Justice course? |
| AA S 587: Asian Americans & Environmental Justice |
|
Yes |
| BECA 502: Environmental Communication on Electronic Media |
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Yes |
| BIOL 161: Climate Change and the Oceans | ||
| BIOL 300: Nature Study |
|
|
| BIOL 529: Plants, People, and the Planet | ||
| BIOL 617 Environmental Physiology | ||
| BUS 450: Greening of Business | ||
| ENVS/IR 331: Global Environmental Crisis |
|
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| ENVS 470: Climate Politics & Policy |
|
Yes |
| ENVS 480: Climate Change Adaptation & Justice | Yes | |
| ERTH 260: Physical Processes in the Atmosphere |
|
|
| ERTH 330: California Water |
|
|
| ERTH 335: Global Warming |
|
|
| ERTH 365: Extreme Weather in a Warming World |
|
|
| GEOG 314: Bioclimatology | ||
| GEOG 500GW: Physical & Human Dimensions of Climate Change |
|
Yes |
| IR/GEOG 428: International Political Economy of Food and Hunger | Yes | |
| IR 476: Refugees, Climate Change, and Human Rights | ||
| PHIL 470: Environmental Ethics |
|
Yes |
| PHYS 305: Physical and Astronomical Approaches to Climate Change Solutions* |
|
Yes |
| RRS 276: Race, Activism, & Climate Justice |
|
Yes |
| USP 514: Sustainable Development |
|
Yes |
| WGS 593: Gender, Health & the Environment |
|
Yes |
* Please note that this course IS counted towards certificate requirements, however, it is not formally listed on the SFSU bulletin yet, as the new course additions are pending approval by the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee. This shouldn’t impact you. If the course isn’t listed as part of the SFSU bulletin when you apply for certificate completion, please let your certificate advisor know. This wouldn’t impact your certificate completion either.
| Course Name | Course Attributes | Advanced Climate Justice course? |
| BECA 502: Environmental Communication on Electronic Media |
|
Yes |
| BIOL 529: Plants, People, and the Planet | ||
| BIOL 532: Restoration Ecology | ||
| BIOL 534: Wetlands Ecology | Yes | |
| BIOL 671: Ecology & Evolution of Marine Systems II |
|
Yes |
| BUS 450 Greening of Business | ||
| COMM 572: Communication and Environmental Justice |
|
Yes |
| COMM/ENVS 675: Climate Ambassadors Practicum in the Climate Change Certificate | Yes | |
| ECON/FIN/ENVS 651: Student Managed Fund in Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Investments | ||
| ENVS 470: Climate Politics & Policy |
|
Yes |
| ENVS 480: Climate Change Adaptation & Justice | Yes | |
| ENVS 530: Environmental Leadership & Organizing | Yes | |
| ENVS 570: Applied Local Sustainability |
|
Yes |
| GEOG 314: Bioclimatology | ||
| GEOG 433: Geography of Urban Transportation | Yes | |
| GEOG 435: Geography of Global Transportation | Yes | |
| GEOG 500GW: Physical & Human Dimensions of Climate Change |
|
Yes |
| GEOG 666: Geography of Garbage: Recycling and Waste Reduction | Yes | |
| IR/GEOG 428: International Political Economy of Food and Hunger | Yes | |
| I R 735: Seminar in Global Environmental Policy | Yes | |
| LS 430: Future of the Forests |
|
Yes |
| PHYS 305: Physical and Astronomical Approaches to Climate Change Solutions* |
|
Yes |
| RRS 276: Race, Activism, & Climate Justice |
|
Yes |
| USP 515/GEOG 667: Environ. Justice: Race, Poverty, & the Envir. |
|
Yes |
| WGS 578: Women, Globalization, & Ecology | Yes |
* Please note that this course IS counted towards certificate requirements, however, it is not formally listed on the SFSU bulletin yet, as the new course additions are pending approval by the Curriculum Review and Approval Committee. This shouldn’t impact you. If the course isn’t listed as part of the SFSU bulletin when you apply for certificate completion, please let your certificate advisor know. This wouldn’t impact your certificate completion either.
The Certificate was modified in Spring 2026 and the Applied Component is no longer a requirement. Students now just need a Foundations, Causes, Impacts, and Solutions course, and can complete the Certificate in 12 units.
| Course Name | Course Attributes | Advanced Climate Justice course? |
| BIOL 681: Climate Change: Applied Learning for the Real World | Yes | |
| COMM/ENVS 675: Climate Ambassadors Practicum in the Climate Change Certificate (offered Spring 2025) | Yes |
Important Guidelines / Restrictions
- Courses cannot be double-counted within the Certificate and each course can only fulfill one requirement area (although the courses can be double-counted in any other major or minor if applicable)
- At least 1 of the courses in Causes, Impacts, or Solutions must be designated as an Advanced Climate Justice course. Look for these designations.
- At least 9 units counted toward the Certificate must be upper-division level (i.e. at least 9 units must be 300-level or above. Students who began the Certificate prior to 2023 only need 8 upper-division units)
- At least 9 units counted toward the Certificate must be graded on an A–F basis.
- At least half the Certificate units must be taken in residence at SFSU.
- Certificate coursework must also:
- Have a minimum average GPA of 2.0.
- Have a grade of CR, C, or better.
- Be completed within 7 years from registration for your first Certificate course.
What's Offered this Semester
Interested in Earning the Certificate? Follow These Steps:
Find Your Advisor, Plan Out Your Classes
The first step we recommend to students is that they meet with an advisor to set up their classes within their existing academic plans. You might have already taken a class that is part of the program but we still recommend that you meet with an advisor so that you can gain access to other features in the certificate.
Access your Certificate Dashboard on Canvas
Track your progress through our Certificate Dashboard on Canvas. Here you will be able to connect with other students taking the certificate, professors, advisors, and get access to the larger Climate HQ community. Here, we will post about events happening on and off campus, paid opportunities and much more.
If you are a certificate student and have not been enrolled into our Certificate Dashboard please fill out this form and you will be added:
(Link coming soon)
We recommend that students interested in the Climate Change Certificate contact an advisor within their college or visit their departmental webpage to find out more about their office hours.
Here is where you can find the contact information for the Climate Change Certificate Advisors organized by College and departments.
College of Science and Engineering |
|
| Name | |
| Derrick Groom | dgroom@sfsu.edu |
| Kevin Simonin | simonin@sfsu.edu |
| Lance Lund | llund@sfsu.edu |
| Tania Pollak | tnpollak@mail.sfsu.edu |
| Kai Burrus | lburrus@sfsu.edu |
| Aaron White | aaronwh@sfsu.edu |
| Adrienne Cool | cool@sfsu.edu |
| Jen Blecha | jblecha@sfsu.edu |
| Aritree Samanta | asamanta@sfsu.edu |
College of Health and Social Science |
|
| Name | |
| Aarthi Padmanabhan | apad@sfsu.edu |
| Pavlina Latkova | latkova@sfsu.edu |
| Amy Dorie | adorie@sfsu.edu |
College of Liberal and Creative Arts |
|
| Name | |
| Constance Gordon | cgordon@sfsu.edu |
| Logan Hennessy | loganh@sfsu.edu |
College of Business |
|
| Name | |
| Susan Cholette | cholette@sfsu.edu |
College of Ethnic Studies |
|
| Name | |
| Gopal Dayaneni | gopaldayaneni@sfsu.edu |
Climate HQ |
|
| Name | |
| Autumn Thoyre | athoyre@sfsu.edu |
Take our Certificate Classes, Be Part of the Larger Community
Once you have met with an advisor and set up your classes, the next step is to take them!
In our Certificate Dashboard you will find a community of like minded peers, amazing professors, and paid opportunities that we offer to Climate HQ students. You will be able to track your progress in the certificate and attend events related to the topics you are learning about.
If you are a certificate student and have not been enrolled into our Certificate Dashboard please fill out this form and you will be added:
(Link coming soon)
Pay the Certificate Program Fee
- Log into your Student Account.
- Go to "Pay Graduate Fees Online" and complete the payment process.
- Download a copy of the receipt so you can use it in the following step.
Complete the following CAP Form
Be sure to read all of the instructions thoroughly before submitting.
Please Note:
- If you have not seen an advisor and your last name starts with the letter A-N, please enter Aritree Samanta (asamanta@sfsu.edu) as your advisor.
- If you have not seen an advisor and your last name starts with the letter O-Z, please enter Autumn Thoyre (athoyre@sfsu.edu) as your advisor.
- Otherwise, please enter the name of the advisor you have established contact with.
Please reach out to a Climate Change Certificate Advisor if you have any questions about completing the CAP Form.
After you click “Finish,” the form will automatically be sent electronically to the Advisor, Program/Department Chair, and Division of Graduate Studies for their signatures.
Deadlines for completing Certificate Forms:
- For Fall award of Certificate: Finish forms by December 15.
- For Spring award of Certificate: Finish forms by June 15.
- For Summer award of Certificate: Finish forms by August 15.
* Please Note: If you miss a deadline, it’s not too late to earn the Certificate. You can finish the paperwork the next semester and still earn the Certificate.
Learn More
Interest Survey
Fill out our survey and receive updates about the Certificate and Climate HQ.
Questions?
Our Frequently Asked Questions page contains many answers to common questions about the Certificate.
Certificate Steering Committee
The Steering Committee oversees the interdisciplinary curriculum of the certificate.