UAlbany Launches Environmental Studies Major, Climate Science Graduate Programs
By Mike Nolan
ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 9, 2025) — The University at Albany is offering new academic programs that will help shape future leaders to address the world’s evolving climate and environmental challenges.
UAlbany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences has received approval from the New York State Education Department to establish a new Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies program and Master of Science and PhD programs in Climate Science.
All three programs were approved for this semester and are now accepting students.
“The College of Arts and Sciences is proud to support these new programs that will help shape the next generation of environmental and climate leaders,” said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Jeanette Altarriba. “The Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences provides students with state-of-the-art educational experiences and training opportunities that prepare them for exciting careers now and into the future.”
“The department’s three new degrees are the culmination of a top-to-bottom analysis of each of our degree programs, and how they address the interests of our students and their preparation for the workforce,” said Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences department chairs Kristen Corbosiero and Ryan Torn. “The new programs allow students to study the interdisciplinary aspects of the environment and carry out world class research in climate science, training them to address some of the most challenging issues facing our planet.”
Environmental Studies Major
The new 68-credit undergraduate program in environmental studies will equip students with a holistic understanding of the Earth’s environmental systems and how they interface with human society.
Students will be offered a foundation of coursework in natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and atmospheric sciences, while also engaging with other disciplines to contextualize environmental issues such as geography, planning, culture, ethics, history, politics and economics.
Program director Justin Minder says the interdisciplinary approach will prepare students to analyze today’s most pressing environmental challenges from all angles.
“Being able to address today’s major environmental problems requires a sound understanding of the science of the natural environment and an appreciation for the two-way interactions between human societies and that environment,” said Minder, an associate professor in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. “Our new major is designed to equip students with both, such that they can be leaders in tackling these important issues.”
Climate Science Graduate Programs
The new M.S. and PhD programs build upon UAlbany’s climate science major, which launched in Fall 2023 and is designed to focus on climate change causes, impacts and solutions.
Students may pursue one of two graduate tracks — Climate Dynamics or Climate Chemistry and Physics — and engage in research in areas such as climate modeling, atmospheric chemistry, polar environments, paleoclimate reconstruction, ocean-atmosphere interactions, renewable energy, urban climate and applications of machine learning.
Global temperatures in 2024 were the warmest on record, according to an analysis led by NASA scientists, and recent research has shown that more than 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. During the first half of this year, the U.S. experienced 15 major weather and climate disasters, each causing more than a billion dollars in damages.
Program director Brian Rose emphasizes that the new graduate degrees leverage existing strengths in the department to train the next generation of climate science leaders.
“Our faculty are global leaders in areas of climate science spanning laboratory, fieldwork, modeling, and theory,” said Rose, an associate professor in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. “We designed these new graduate degrees to provide a rigorous, broad-based intellectual foundation in the field, including a strong focus on data fluency. The new programs create better pathways to recruit outstanding students to work with our faculty in these important research areas.”
The M.S. program requires two years of full-time study, culminating in a research-based thesis. The Ph.D. program requires advanced coursework and original research leading to a dissertation.
A Hub for Climate, Weather and Emergency Preparedness
The new programs will be housed at UAlbany’s ETEC building, a $180 million facility that serves as a hub for weather, climate and emergency preparedness researchers and educators.
Among its many featured spaces are the Atmopsheric Sciences Research Center, the New York State Mesonet, a statewide weather observation network operated by UAlbany, the State Weather Risk Communication Center, a first-of-its-kind partnership that leverages UAlbany’s expertise in atmospheric sciences to help the state and emergency managers prepare for and respond to severe weather, the xCITE lab, a data and visual analytics center that connects weather and climate research with emerging tech, and the Paleoclimate lab, which studies Earth’s past climate conditions.
ETEC is also home to the National Weather Service Albany office and is located across the street from New York’s homeland security and emergency services agencies.
In addition to research and internships at ETEC, students will have the opportunity to work with industry partners, facilitated through UAlbany’s Center of Excellence in Weather and Climate Analytics.