University of Wisconsin-Madison
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The B.S. in Forest Science is offered by the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

The Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology trains foresters to sustainably manage forests toward sustainable ecological, social, and economic outcomes. Forest science students also learn how to respond to forest disturbances from insects, diseases, fire, and other changes. Beyond a core of basic science and forestry coursework, students have flexibility to customize their learning experience within one of three tracks: forest conservation, forests and the environment, and forest management.

Students develop and use economic data and models to analyze and understand a wide range of issues—including environmental problems, world hunger, energy and climate change, business economics and finance, economic development, globalization and trade, biotechnology, land-use management, and community development. Course subjects include economics, environmental economics, managerial economics, financial management, commodities and futures markets, the global economy, development in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, cooperatives, international trade, pollution, and regulation. Students acquire the necessary skills to pursue a rewarding career in consulting, government, business, or international organizations, or a graduate degree in economics, public policy, business or law.

The Environmental Sciences major satisfies the growing demand among entry-level students for a rigorous, science-based program that promotes critical thinking and emphasizes environmental problem solving in service to society. The program is designed to prepare graduates who will be highly competitive for entry-level positions in nonprofit and private sectors, and for master’s programs and doctoral research programs in environmental fields. Possible career paths include environmental monitoring, consulting, education, research, and planning, as well as natural resource management, ecology restoration, remediation, water and air quality assessment, sustainability practices, and more. Undergraduates in Environmental Sciences prepare for a variety of career and graduate school opportunities that require a strong background in the natural sciences. Foundational course work in the major includes calculus, biology, chemistry, and physics. Core and elective course work is fulfilled through diverse offerings from both the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Letters & Science.

The undergraduate Sustainability Certificate (12 credits) is offered by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

The Sustainability Certificate is designed to ensure that each student develops literacy in the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, as well in systems thinking. Students in this program learn to:
- Identify, critically analyze, and propose solutions to the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability;
- Engage in systems thinking and practice so as to address the interrelationships among the three dimensions of sustainability; and
- Develop the capacity for an engaged life in which theory, practice, and reflection are integrated in the pursuit of a more sustainable world.

The undergraduate Engineering for Energy Sustainability Certificate (16 credits) is offered by the College of Engineering.

The Engineering for Energy Sustainability Certificate offers undergraduate students a suite of courses addressing energy sustainability. These courses span the engineering curriculum, with firm roots in real-world design and engineering practices. Students learn how to synthesize knowledge of the technical and physical aspects of energy with the social and environmental factors to analyze the sustainability of energy systems.

The undergraduate Food Systems Certificate (16 credit) is offered by the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

The Food Systems Certificate assembles an interdisciplinary curriculum, integrating different paradigms across all aspects of food production, distribution, and consumption, along with the context and values inherent to the systems.

For students in food or agriculture-related majors, the program will provide a broader context to their disciplinary studies. For students in fields that include food as a possible orientation of their studies, it will provide exposure to the full range of food systems, potentially inspiring an orientation to food as a focus of their studies. For students of any discipline, the certificate will help students be more informed consumers and citizens, hopefully leading to better choices about what they eat and the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of different patterns of production, processing, distribution, and consumption.