The Bachelor of Climate Change is a unique and flexible degree which will arm you with knowledge that transcends traditional subject areas to meet the growing demand for experts who will help solve this complex, global issue.
Watch the launch of our brand new Bachelor of Climate Change degree – delivering graduates who will lead future climate change solutions. It combines scientific knowledge and an understanding of people, economic and political systems, including the impacts on Māori, Pacific and Indigenous communities.
The University of Waikato is proudly launching a new three-year degree in 2022 - the Bachelor of Climate Change.
This degree is the first of its kind in the world and combines scientific knowledge of the biophysical world with understanding of economic and political systems and the impacts on Māori, Pacific and Indigenous communities.
A degree with a difference
While climate change is an incredibly complex problem, the solution is very simple - we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This requires a fundamental shift in the way we do business and go about our lives.
With a Bachelor of Climate Change you will be well placed to support and guide others in this transition, from navigating the world of compliance and policy or helping to shift mindsets and behaviours within organisations and communities.
We need people from all walks of life to contribute their expertise to developing solutions to climate change. This is a degree that will ensure you take up your place in the workforce as a climate-informed citizen.
Here are a few of the many rewarding jobs that a Bachelor of Climate Change could prepare you for:
While learning about climate change science is a big (and important) part of the degree, it is not the only part. You will also complete compulsory papers that look at climate change through a social science lens as well as Māori and Pacific responses to climate changes.
What sets this degree apart is its multidisciplinary focus, which basically means you will be harnessing the superpowers of the collective.
Year 1
100 Level Major
100 Level Major
CSMAX101 or BUSAN205
Elective
Year 2
200 Level Major
200 Level Major
200 Level Major
CLIMT202 Māori and Pacific Responses to Climate Change
Elective
Elective
Elective
Year 3
300 Level Major
300 Level Major
300 Level Major
300 Level Major
CLIMT301 Climate Change Mitigation: Group Project
Elective
Elective
Elective
You will be able to choose from one of 21 major subjects - you may also choose two major subjects (a double major).
Some examples of some double major combinations include:
In your third year you will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with a company, iwi or community group to solve a real climate change problem.
You could be working alongside students majoring in Earth Science, Economics, Geography or Maori and Indigenous Studies on this project.
This is a valuable way of working as part of a diverse team and applying your knowledge in a way that will affect real change in your community.
We are lucky to have some of the leading marine scientists in the world. Check out the work Dr Shari Gallop is leading in Tauranga looking at the impacts of climate change on our oceans.
The boggy, peat soils across large portions of the Waikato region are among the densest natural carbon stores in New Zealand. In this article, our leading soil scientists show how efforts to drain these areas to make the land farmable has led to massive carbon emissions.
Extreme weather events are on the rise and Professor Iain White discusses the effects this is having on areas like city infrastructure and insurance, what lies ahead and how we can be better prepared.