Climate Curricular Guides guides pull climate-related courses into thematic lists to provide interested students with suggested courses that can be taken along any course of study. These guides are simply meant to assist students in course selection. There are no requirements for completion.

Courses in the Climate and Energy Guide have been compiled to provide all students interested in energy and climate change with a guide to relevant areas of study. We have included a wide range of courses from different schools and disciplines in order to provide various lenses through which climate change and its implications can be understood. We encourage you to look at courses both within and outside your school or major and encourage you to look at the specific course descriptions as you determine if a course may fit within your course of study.

Contact Information

If you have any questions feel free to contact Climate and Energy Guide lead

Prof. Michael Wysession, Executive Director, The Center For Teaching And Learning and Professor Of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Special Note
  • Each course will vary in the amount of time dedicated to climate and energy — please look at the course description and at our Curriculum Database for guidance.
  • Not every listing will directly relate to climate and energy. Some classes may instead develop skills needed to tackling climate change as it relates to energy.
  • Some courses may require prerequisites.
  • *Capstone courses are noted with an asterisk. Capstone courses often integrate project work.  Some projects may be related to Energy. Please check with the instructor. 
  • **Graduate courses are noted with a double asterisk.  Not all graduate courses are open to undergraduates, please check with the instructor. 

College of Arts and Sciences

Anthro 3472Global Energy and the American Dream
BIOL 1260First-Year Seminar: The Secret Lives of Plants
BIOL 2950Introduction to Environmental Biology
BIOL 2960Principles of Biology I
BIOL 2970Principles of Biology II
BIOL 3041Plant Biology and Genetic Engineering
Chem 105Introductory General Chemistry I
Chem 106Introductory General Chemistry II
Chem 111AGeneral Chemistry I
Chem 112AGeneral Chemistry II
CHEM 182Chemistry for Concerned Citizens: Topics in Energy, the Environment, and More
Chem 403Chemical Kinetics
Chem 426Inorganic Electrochemistry and Photochemistry
EnSt 101Earth’s Future: Causes and Consequences of Global Climate Change
EnSt 102To Sustainability and Beyond: People, Planet, Prosperity
EnSt 105Sustainability in Business
EnSt 110Environmental Issues
EnSt 310Ecological Economics
Enst 315Fallout: Analyzing Tests and Narratives of the Nuclear Era
EnSt 316Beyond the Evidence
EnSt 341International Energy Politics
Enst 347Sustainable Cities
EnSt 350WEnvironmental Issues: Writing
EnSt 357Environmental Problem Solving
EnSt 405Sustainability Exchange*
EnSt 407RESET: Renewable Energy and Decarbonizing the Grid*
EnSt 451Environmental Policy
EnSt 452International Climate Negotiation Seminar*
EnSt 461Introduction to Environmental Law
EPSc 141First-Year Seminar: Unearthing the Science of Climate Change
EPSc 201Earth and the Environment
EPSc 219Energy and the Environment
EPSc 308Topics in Environmental Sustainability
EPSc 386The Earth’s Climate System
EPSc 486Paleoclimatology
Hist 3810Between Sand and Sea: History, Environment, and Politics in the Arabian Peninsula
JINE 3401Energy Governance in Israel and the Middle East
Physics 171APhysics and Society
Physics 191Physics I
Physics 192Physics II
Physics 197Physics I
Physics 198Physics II
Physics 411Mechanics
Physics 421Electricity and Magnetism
Physics 422Electricity and Magnetism II
Physics 444Energy and Environmental Physics
Physics 505Classical Electrodynamics I
Physics 506Classical Electrodynamics II
Physics 537Kinetics of Materials
Pol Sci* 2010Introduction to Environmental Policy
Pol Sci* 332BEnvironmental and Energy Issues

*Note: The Political Science department occasionally offers special Topics courses about climate change.

McKelvey School of Engineering

EECE 101Introduction to Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering
EECE 202Computational Modeling in Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering
EECE 210Introduction to Environmental Engineering
EECE 303Transport Phenomena III: Energy Transfer Processes
EECE 311Green Engineering
EECE 314Air Quality Engineering with lab
EECE 411International Experience in Energy, Environment & Chem. Engr.
EECE 413Energy Conversion and Storage
EECE 421Advanced Energy Laboratory
EECE 425Environmental Engineering Laboratory
EECE 514Atmospheric Science and Climate**
EECE 552Biomass Energy Systems and Engineering**
EECE 590Energy and Environmental Economic Decision-Making**
EECE 591Energy and Buildings**
ESE 434Solid State Power Circuits and Applications
ESE 435Electrical Energy Laboratory
ESE 437Sustainable Energy Systems
MEMS 5422Solar Energy Thermal Processes**
MEMS 5423Sustainable Energy Environmental Building Systems**
MEMS 5424Thermo-Fluid Modeling of Sustainable Energy Systems**
MEMS 5426Fundamentals of Solar Energy Thermal Processes**
MEMS 5705Wind Energy Systems**
MEMS 598Energy Analysis and Design Project**

Sam Fox School

ARCH 430ASpecial Topics: Solar Decathlon Design Challenge for a Zero-Energy Elementary School (ZEES)
ARCH 430BSpecial Topics: Design Strategies for Energy Efficiency
ARCH 438Environmental Systems I
ARCH 439Environmental Systems II
ARCH 462HInformation Modeling for Sustainable Design
ARCH 490AExplore & Contribute: Collaboration between Washington University & Henry Elementary School

University College

JME 303Global Energy Policy
SUST 3312Environment and Energy Issues