# Hardest courses in Environmental Studies - Gaylord Nelson Institute | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/departments/ENVIRST/hardest?term=1274) ## Dataset ### search projection #### version 1 #### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### revision fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 10 ### projection id 25a5e1495a940a130efa223858e76f52294bba73a112cecf25208173491bd201 ### observed at 2026-10-14T17:50:09.728220+00:00 ### built at 2026-10-19T18:58:33.786556+00:00 ### courses 8929 ### current instructors 3758 ### limited false ### terms * 1274 * 1272 * 1264 * 1262 * 1254 * 1252 * 1244 * 1242 * 1234 * 1232 * 1224 * 1222 * 1212 * 1204 * 1202 * 1194 * 1192 * 1184 * 1182 * 1174 * 1172 * 1164 * 1162 * 1154 * 1152 * 1144 * 1142 * 1134 * 1132 * 1124 * 1122 * 1114 * 1112 * 1104 * 1102 * 1094 * 1092 * 1084 * 1082 * 1074 * 1072 ### term 1274 ### departments | subject | count | | --------- | ----- | | AAE | 90 | | ABT | 20 | | ACCTIS | 36 | | ACTSCI | 14 | | AFAERO | 10 | | AFRICAN | 87 | | AFROAMER | 70 | | AGROECOL | 21 | | AMERIND | 54 | | ANAT\&PHY | 7 | | ANATOMY | 2 | | ANESTHES | 8 | | ANSCI | 53 | | ANTHRO | 93 | | ART | 124 | | ARTED | 10 | | ARTHIST | 121 | | ASIALANG | 129 | | ASIAN | 109 | | ASIANAM | 28 | | ASTRON | 38 | | ATMOCN | 70 | | BIOCHEM | 52 | | BIOCORE | 10 | | BIOLOGY | 14 | | BIOMDSCI | 18 | | BME | 66 | | BMI | 41 | | BMOLCHEM | 10 | | BOTANY | 68 | | BSE | 44 | | C\&ESOC | 73 | | CBE | 48 | | CHEM | 101 | | CHICLA | 51 | | CIVENGR | 131 | | CLASSICS | 47 | | CNP | 11 | | CNSRSCI | 49 | | COMARTS | 137 | | COMPBIO | 15 | | COMPLIT | 10 | | COMPSCI | 138 | | COUNPSY | 78 | | CRB | 14 | | CS\&D | 71 | | CSCS | 39 | | CURRIC | 193 | | DANCE | 93 | | DERM | 8 | | DS | 88 | | DYSCI | 33 | | ECE | 155 | | ECON | 144 | | EDPOL | 115 | | EDPSYCH | 97 | | ELPA | 71 | | EMA | 52 | | EMERMED | 17 | | ENGL | 205 | | ENTOM | 39 | | ENVIRST | 149 | | EP | 15 | | EPD | 65 | | ESL | 15 | | F\&WECOL | 60 | | FAMMED | 21 | | FINANCE | 50 | | FOLKLORE | 38 | | FOODSCI | 43 | | FRENCH | 62 | | GEN\&WS | 144 | | GENBUS | 72 | | GENECSLR | 17 | | GENETICS | 60 | | GEOG | 112 | | GEOSCI | 83 | | GERMAN | 84 | | GLE | 47 | | GNS | 39 | | GREEK | 27 | | HDFS | 43 | | HEBR-BIB | 13 | | HEBR-MOD | 10 | | HISTORY | 232 | | HISTSCI | 54 | | HONCOL | 13 | | ILS | 43 | | INFOSYS | 9 | | INTEGART | 7 | | INTEGSCI | 22 | | INTER-AG | 18 | | INTER-HE | 11 | | INTER-LS | 21 | | INTEREGR | 16 | | INTLBUS | 21 | | INTLST | 52 | | ISYE | 82 | | ITALIAN | 55 | | JEWISH | 56 | | JOURN | 87 | | KINES | 127 | | LACIS | 26 | | LANDARC | 61 | | LATIN | 24 | | LAW | 118 | | LEGALST | 48 | | LINGUIS | 35 | | LIS | 90 | | LITTRANS | 79 | | LSC | 52 | | M\&ENVTOX | 7 | | MARKETNG | 65 | | MATH | 152 | | MDGENET | 8 | | ME | 132 | | MEDHIST | 41 | | MEDICINE | 59 | | MEDIEVAL | 32 | | MEDPHYS | 39 | | MEDSC-M | 29 | | MEDSC-V | 45 | | MHR | 68 | | MICROBIO | 45 | | MILSCI | 16 | | MM\&I | 22 | | MOLBIOL | 6 | | MS\&E | 60 | | MUSIC | 164 | | MUSPERF | 125 | | NAVSCI | 20 | | NE | 44 | | NEURODPT | 11 | | NEUROL | 7 | | NEURSURG | 5 | | NTP | 11 | | NURSING | 112 | | NUTRSCI | 64 | | OBS\&GYN | 18 | | OCCTHER | 39 | | ONCOLOGY | 13 | | OPHTHALM | 5 | | OTM | 44 | | PATH | 34 | | PATH-BIO | 29 | | PEDIAT | 27 | | PHARMACY | 36 | | PHILOS | 76 | | PHMCOL-M | 10 | | PHMPRAC | 41 | | PHMSCI | 58 | | PHYASST | 38 | | PHYSICS | 88 | | PHYSIOL | 3 | | PHYTHER | 37 | | PLANTSCI | 53 | | PLPATH | 37 | | POLISCI | 197 | | POPHLTH | 54 | | PORTUG | 33 | | PSYCH | 102 | | PSYCHIAT | 21 | | PUBAFFR | 54 | | PUBLHLTH | 23 | | RADIOL | 11 | | REALEST | 41 | | RELIGST | 90 | | RHABMED | 9 | | RMI | 24 | | RP\&SE | 101 | | S\&APHM | 16 | | SCANDST | 73 | | SLAVIC | 90 | | SOC | 145 | | SOCWORK | 87 | | SOILSCI | 46 | | SPANISH | 81 | | SRMED | 21 | | STAT | 91 | | STDYABRD | 52 | | STS | 8 | | SURGERY | 24 | | SURGSCI | 33 | | THEATRE | 88 | | URBRPL | 60 | | UROLOGY | 6 | | ZOOLOGY | 90 | ### designations | family | value | label | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | | breadth | biological-science | Breadth - Biological Science | | breadth | biological-science-or-social-science | Breadth - Biological Science or Social Science | | breadth | humanities | Breadth - Humanities | | breadth | humanities-or-natural-science | Breadth - Humanities or Natural Science | | breadth | humanities-or-social-science | Breadth - Humanities or Social Science | | breadth | literature | Breadth - Literature | | breadth | natural-science | Breadth - Natural Science | | breadth | physical-science | Breadth - Physical Science | | breadth | social-science | Breadth - Social Science | | breadth | social-science-or-natural-science | Breadth - Social Science or Natural Science | | catalog-level | advanced | Level - Advanced | | catalog-level | elementary | Level - Elementary | | catalog-level | intermediate | Level - Intermediate | | communication | a | Comm QR - Communication A | | communication | b | Comm QR - Communication B | | core-gened | civics-and-perspectives | Core GenEd - Civics & Perspectives | | core-gened | communication-and-literacy | Core GenEd - Communication & Literacy | | core-gened | humanities-and-arts | Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts | | core-gened | mathematics-and-quantitative-reasoning | Core GenEd - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness | | core-gened | natural-science-and-wellness-lab | Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab | | core-gened | social-and-behavioral-science | Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science | | ethnic-studies | yes | Ethnic St - Ethnic Studies | | frgn-lang | 1st-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 1st semester language | | frgn-lang | 2nd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 2nd semester language | | frgn-lang | 3rd-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 3rd semester language | | frgn-lang | 4th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 4th semester language | | frgn-lang | 5th-semester-language | Frgn Lang - 5th + semester language | | graduate-credit | yes | Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement | | honors | accelerated-honors | Honors - Accelerated Honors (!) | | honors | honors-only-courses-h | Honors - Honors Only Courses (H) | | honors | honors-optional | Honors - Honors Optional (%) | | liberal-arts | l-and-s-liberal-arts-and-science | L\&S Credit - L\&S Liberal Arts and Science | | quantitative-reasoning | a | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning A | | quantitative-reasoning | b | Comm QR - Quantitative Reasoning B | | workplace | workplace-experience | Workplace - Workplace Experience | ### deployed at 2026-10-21T15:26:46.388253+00:00 ### site commit daa1fadde432744ba417ff2b9999b11224ddd967 ## subject ENVIRST ## collection hardest ## results ### total 45 ### page 1 ### q ### term 1274 ### availability offered ### filters #### term 1274 #### ranking hardest #### subject ENVIRST ### kind course ### items ```json [ { "course_uid": "course_0d4cf169ef7d2f1437b00cb6", "course_id": "ENVIRST/GEOG/SOILSCI 230", "title": "SOIL: ECOSYSTEM AND RESOURCE", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 3, "gpa": 3.005, "badges": [ { "id": "grade-outcomes", "tag": "lower-grades", "label": "Lower grades", "tone": "negative", "evidence": "Spring 2026 · latest released grades before Spring 2027: 2.63 GPA across 87 letter grades, versus 3.62 for Environmental Studies - Gaylord Nelson Institute (39 courses). Requires a difference of at least 0.20 and 30 letter grades. Historical outcomes, not predicted difficulty.", "sources": [ { "label": "Grade history and sources", "href": "/courses/ENVIRST_GEOG_SOILSCI_230#grades" } ] } ], "description": "A systems-based investigation of soil structure, biology, water, fertility, and taxonomy, including human impacts on the soil environment.", "discovery": { "term": "1274", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 81, 43, 48, 52, 54, 33, 20 ], "count": 331, "gpa": 2.687311178247734, "topShare": 37.46223564954683, "firstTerm": "1234", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_0d4cf169ef7d2f1437b00cb6", "uid": "instructor_d0392633eeb3a37acc53f98b", "name": "Nick Balster", "quality": 3.3093318048801117, "quality_count": 64, "instructor_url": "/instructors/NICK_BALSTER" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "text": "Lectures required close attention, and complacent learners risked falling behind, though support was available.", "evidence_scope": "past_student_reviews", "citations": [ { "type": "review", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/262714", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDEzNzg5", "instructor_name": "Nick Balster", "review_date": "2026-05-04 02:00:14 +0000 UTC", "review_id": "384e1c46125ceec972c44ef7", "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:262714" } ] }, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf/reviews/course_0d4cf169ef7d2f1437b00cb6-0.json" ] } }, { "course_uid": "course_758ce389254385b2f3f20973", "course_id": "AAE/ECON/ENVIRST 343", "title": "ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 4, "gpa": 2.984, "badges": [ { "id": "rated-teacher", "tag": "rated-teacher", "label": "Highly rated instructor", "tone": "positive", "evidence": "Spring 2027: Corbett Grainger (4.11/5 adjusted; 33 ratings). At least one assigned instructor qualifies. This describes instructor reviews across courses, not a course rating.", "sources": [ { "label": "Corbett Grainger", "href": "/instructors/CORBETT_GRAINGER" } ] } ], "description": "Environmental Economics applies microeconomic principles to natural resources like air, water, forests, and energy, examining pollution control and preservation versus development.", "discovery": { "term": "1274", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 39, 41, 28, 14, 25, 6, 2 ], "count": 155, "gpa": 3.0612903225806454, "topShare": 51.61290322580645, "firstTerm": "1234", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_758ce389254385b2f3f20973", "uid": "instructor_fc499008c8adfa5fd06cb4f6", "name": "Corbett Grainger", "quality": 4.114223992640177, "quality_count": 33, "instructor_url": "/instructors/CORBETT_GRAINGER" } ], "instructorHistory": null, "courseComparison": null, "claim": { "text": "The course required minimal reading and relied heavily on PowerPoint slides. 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