A seminar for graduate students covering various fields of zoological research, including limnology and marine science.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026← Environmental Studies - Gaylord Nelson Institute (ENVIRST)
Easiest courses in Environmental Studies - Gaylord Nelson Institute
Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
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33 coursesHistorical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Only courses with at least 100 letter grades are ranked.
A seminar for Community Environmental Scholars analyzing environmental issues and community engagement through work with organizations and professional skill development.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ENVIRST 400 covers special topics in environmental biological sciences including conservation, ecology, and health.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CAPSTONE is an interdisciplinary investigation of real-world environmental challenges using diverse academic perspectives.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Explores how literary texts represent, imagine, and re-imagine the environment.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The workload is light, involving only a handful of poems per week, with an easy path to high grades.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026ENVIRST 402 covers social perspectives in environmental studies, examining policy, law, economics, and justice issues.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Kim Wahl: One reviewer reported a colossal amount of busy work and basic material for a 400-level class, while noting that getting an A is not very hard.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION TOOLS MODULES provides training in specific tools and methods for environmental conservation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ENTOM/ENVIRST 205 introduces global health principles, disease disparities, and the impact of human-mediated global change on human health and ecosystem services.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is considered very easy with minimal difficulty, relying almost solely on Canvas discussions rather than in-depth material coverage.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A forum course examining historical and contemporary human impacts on the biosphere and prospects for sustainable management.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Thea Whitman: Workload is minimal, consisting of in-class work, short homework, and one group project, with guest speakers and group work structure.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026#10 ·ENVIRST 900
Seminar
1–3 creditsENVIRST 900 is a graduate-level seminar covering special topics selected with each offering.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Examines how education addresses environmental and social sustainability challenges through behavior change, empowerment, and community action.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025FORESTS OF THE WORLD covers global forest ecology, conservation strategies, and management trade-offs outside the USA.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025ENVIRST 417 analyzes sustainability concepts across diverse fields like energy, ecology, and policy using tools like GIS and modeling.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A survey course examining the importance of insects in the environment, including beneficial species, disease carriers, agricultural pests, and issues related to insect control agents.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Workload consists of seven short essays, weekly quizzes, a moth-raising project, and a mini-documentary. While some find the volume of assignments significant, most report that the tasks are straightforward and manageable if students stay on top of deadlines.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026#15 ·ENVIRST 215
Sustainability
3 creditsENVIRST 215 introduces sustainability as a transdisciplinary field, surveying global challenges and solutions through a social-environmental systems approach.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Reviewers report that changing assignments, unclear expectations, and a late syllabus release caused confusion and stress, making it difficult to pace work.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026Covers state-of-the-art renewable energy applications and engineering calculations for power availability and system integration.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Doug Reinemann, Troy Runge: The RETScreen group project is a major time commitment. Exams require substantial preparation, with some reviewers noting questions outside lecture scope, while others find them similar to homework.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Covers toxicologic and epidemiologic studies of air pollutants, including lung physiology, pollution sources, and regulatory controls.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025#18 ·C&ESOC/ENVIRST/SOC 540
Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability
3 creditsSociological analysis of economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social justice in the developing world.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Jane Collins: Workload includes three 2-page papers, two exams, and a book review, with attendance recommended for paper content.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025Examines American Indian perspectives, conservation practices, and policy environments to clarify indigeneity and resource sustainability.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Workload varies by review, citing weekly readings, discussion participation, and essays. Some note minimal work, while others report extensive papers, pop quizzes, and heavy reading loads.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025A survey of interactions between people and natural environments in America, covering ecological change, conservation, and public policy.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of William (bill) Cronon: Reviewers note a heavy reading load but manageable overall workload, with fair grading and clear exam guidance. Some students found the essay-style exams and tough six-page papers challenging, preferring paper-based synthesis over fact-cramming for exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025ENVIRST 112 explores social science perspectives on the relationship between environment and society from local to global scales.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Robert Beattie, Samer Alatout: Grading relies heavily on four to five short papers, often supplemented by open-note quizzes and a final. Students note that attending lectures helps clarify paper prompts, and extra credit opportunities are available.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025This course examines the ecology, causes, and consequences of species extinction, including habitat alteration and conservation strategies.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Karie Cherwin: Reviewers consistently rate the difficulty as low, noting that content is easy and tests are fair, though some find the lack of structure challenging.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE describes basic climate principles, variability, and the science behind the greenhouse effect and model forecasts.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Michael Notaro: Quizzes are described as easy if students study the provided study guide document.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Covers the economic analysis of environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity, fisheries, trade, and poverty.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Bradford Barham, Dominic Parker: The course features weekly problem sets and quizzes instead of midterms, with only a final exam. Some students found the econ concepts heavier than expected, requiring preparation if lacking a background in the subject.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025LIMNOLOGY-CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES covers general limnology, lake characteristics, and rehabilitation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Lectures are dense and data-heavy, requiring students to study them closely and create notecards with key terms for exams.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Introduction to Sustainability Science explores sustainability foundations using the UW-Madison campus as a living laboratory.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Fall 2025GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES explores the global and local nature of environmental problems through an interdisciplinary and geographic perspective.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Grades rely on three exams and weekly discussion papers. Exams are frequently described as difficult, specific, or poorly worded, requiring strict attendance and note-taking as slides are often unhelpful.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY applies geology to problems from intense use of the earth and its resources.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course features weekly online quizzes with two attempts and mandatory weekly labs. Quizzes are described as tough and sometimes misaligned with lecture content, while labs range from easy to math-heavy.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026An introduction to Geographic Information Systems focusing on the design and implementation of automated procedures for spatial data storage, analysis, and display.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is challenging with tough exams and harsh grading. Labs are difficult to follow with general instructions, and the workload includes pop quizzes.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Introductory Ecology covers organism-environment relationships, population dynamics, community organization, and human-environment action programs.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Tony Ives: Tests carry the most weight, so students emphasize completing all extra credit to boost their final grade. Quizzes are short but tricky, requiring careful attention to lecture material and readings.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026