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Academic Programs

Environmental Science of the Arctic

Environmental Science of the Arctic

Climate change is one of the most critical global topics of our time.

With Scandinavia as your base, you will explore climate change theory through the lens of scientific climate history in the Arctic.

Join expert scientists in the field to see the most dramatic effects firsthand on Study Tour, where you will visit active research sites within the glaciers of Iceland, the Greenland ice sheet, or the tundra of Arctic Norway.

This program is a good fit if you study:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental Science
  • Geology
Environmental Science of the Arctic

Explore Core Courses

Core Course

Climate, Glaciers, and Human Impact

Semester
Copenhagen
Climate, Glaciers, and Human Impact

This course focuses on the natural science aspects of climate change with emphasis on historic times. The course takes a journey from ancient times through to the present describing periods when the climate was strikingly different than it is today and revealing the mechanisms and feedback that govern the climate system...

Study Tours: Iceland, Denmark

Disciplines: Arctic Studies, Biology, Environmental Science, Geology

Pre-requisites: Yes

Syllabus

Spring 2026- Section A

Go to syllabus

This is the most recent syllabus for this course

Spring 2026- Section B

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Core Course

Ice Cores and Ice Ages

Semester
Copenhagen
Ice Cores and Ice Ages

This course focuses on the natural science aspects of climate change during the prehistoric times with focus on the glacial and the deglaciation. You gain an understanding of past climate variability, including its underlying causes and mechanisms as a basis for separating natural and anthropogenic climate change and for making useful projections of future climate and assessing its impacts. The course focuses on pre-human times, and the 100,000 year old Greenlandic ice sheet provides an ideal case study.

Study Tours: Greenland, Denmark

Disciplines: Arctic Studies, Biology, Environmental Science, Geology, Sustainability

Pre-requisites: Yes

Syllabus

Spring 2026

Go to syllabus

This is the most recent syllabus for this course

Core Course

Polar Biology

Semester
Copenhagen
Polar Biology

In this course, gain an understanding of biology of the polar areas, with a special emphasis on the Northern Hemisphere. Learn how organisms of the Polar Regions are evolutionarily adapted to cold terrestrial or marine habitats with strong seasonality. By studying theoretical and practical case studies, gain insight into population dynamics and species richness within Denmark, and of the Arctic regions in Iceland and Norway.

Study Tours: Svalbard, Iceland, Denmark, Arctic Norway

Disciplines: Arctic Studies, Biology, Environmental Science, Sustainability

Pre-requisites: Yes

Syllabus

Spring 2026- Section A

Go to syllabus

This is the most recent syllabus for this course

Spring 2026- Section B

Go to syllabus

Spring 2026- Section C

Go to syllabus

This is the most recent syllabus for this course

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