Plan ahead for courses where students have earned lower grades.
Lowest 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.
45 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
A systems-based investigation of soil structure, biology, water, fertility, and taxonomy, including human impacts on the soil environment.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Nick Balster
Lectures required close attention, and complacent learners risked falling behind, though support was available.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Environmental Economics applies microeconomic principles to natural resources like air, water, forests, and energy, examining pollution control and preservation versus development.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Corbett Grainger
The course required minimal reading and relied heavily on PowerPoint slides. Exams were described as challenging but fair, with one student noting the material was not easy but manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to environmental remote sensing covering aerial photography, satellite imagery, electromagnetic radiation, data types, interpretation, analysis, mapping, and applications.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Study the theory and practice of effective, scientific, ethical, and legitimate preservation of nature, including biodiversity, atmosphere, and water.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Geographical study of conservation and climate change, analyzing physical/social dimensions, values, and institutions from local to international scales.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Lisa Naughton
The course included three exams, three papers, and weekly quizzes based on online readings and videos for each module.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to how the Earth system works and what makes Earth livable; covers interactions among atmosphere, oceans, life, and Earth's surface shaping local, regional, and global landscapes.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jack Williams
There are four non-cumulative exams, with no final exam during exam week. Exams are primarily based on lecture slides rather than the textbook, which the reviewer did not read.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory ecology covering organism-environment relationships, population dynamics, community organization, human-environment interactions, and action programs.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Tony Ives
Anthony Ives used quizzes worth 20 points each, with a 60-point final. A student warned that even a couple of wrong answers lowered scores, but extra credit could raise a grade.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026An introductory course on Geographic Information Systems covering automated procedures for storing, analyzing, and displaying spatial information, including databases, software systems, and case studies.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Axing Zhu
The course covered a large volume of material, making it challenging. Exams were described as tough and difficult, with some students noting that grading on them was harsh.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Environmental Geology applies geology to problems arising from the intensive use of the earth and its resources.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michael Cardiff
Students described different assessment structures; one noted labs became math-heavy and difficult, while another critiqued the exam format for including only one midterm and one final.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026This course introduces air quality by linking chemistry, meteorology, engineering, policy, and public health to pollutant impacts and regulation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Tracey Holloway
Students noted that the class was definitely difficult and that they had to work hard to achieve a passing grade.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Global Environmental Issues explores climate change, food, energy, biodiversity, and justice through an interdisciplinary geographic lens, connecting global scales to local contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Morgan Robertson
The course included weekly readings and short answer questions or write-ups for discussion. Exams were based on lectures, and students indicated that taking good notes and studying enough was necessary to succeed.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Fundamental study of global warming causes, scientific evidence, future predictions, impacts on humans and ecosystems, and societal debates over solutions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jack Williams
The course involved lots of readings, though assessments focused on lecture content rather than external sources.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines climate change mitigation efforts across international treaties, government policies, corporate programs, and individual behavior, evaluating their successes and obstacles.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Leah Horowitz
The course included two weekly readings and mandatory discussion participation. One student noted that keeping up with weekly assignments and studying a bit for the midterm made earning a good grade manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Covers basic climate principles, present climate variability, past evolution, and future projections of climate change.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Michael Notaro
One student found the quizzes manageable after studying the provided guide, noting the lectures were in-depth.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Introduction to agroecology as a science, practice, and movement, analyzing agricultural and food systems through social and ecological lenses.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Ecology of Fishes covers interactions of fishes with physical, chemical, and biotic environments, including physiological ecology, community ecology, and fisheries sciences, with field trips to Lake Mendota and Shedd Aquarium.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Ecology of Fishes Lab covers the anatomy and taxonomy of Wisconsin fishes and includes projects in fish ecology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to Environmental Health covers the impact of environmental problems on human health, including biological hazards from air and water pollution, radiation, pesticides, noise, and workplace factors.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Vijay Limaye
Vijay Limaye was a tough grader who used quizzes and exams to trick students with specific, unemphasized details. The class relied on only a few assignments and exams.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Green Urbanism explores how urbanization impacts ecological processes and environmental outcomes, examining design strategies and policy responses to urban environmental problems.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Principles of Environmental Science connects environmental science to daily activities through sustainability, conservation, and systems thinking, covering energy, water, land use, food, power, materials, buildings, transportation, and.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Timothy Lindstrom
The course involved weekly assignments and long lab worksheets that some students found repetitive or time-consuming. Reviewers noted that while the class was generally easy for a lab science, the labs were lengthy and required consistent effort.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Surveys American environmental policy and regulation, focusing on specific statutes, policy arenas, and primary-source case material to examine legal/regulatory structures and geographic/social contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Morgan Robertson
The class requires a heavy time commitment for reading and assignments, with outcomes depending significantly on the effort students invest.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Wetlands Ecology covers types, origins, structure, physical/biological values, dynamics, and protection, management, and restoration of wetlands.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · David Bart
Students reported insufficient weekly time to complete textbook readings, watch pre-class lectures, and handle numerous end-of-semester assignments.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to sustainability science, surveying global challenges and solutions via an integrated social-environmental systems approach.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Kim Wahl
Assignments lacked clear expectations and a consistent rhythm, which made it difficult for students to pace themselves and caused unnecessary stress.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2026Covers state-of-the-art renewable energy applications including biomass, wind, solar, and hydro. Students practice engineering calculations for power/energy availability and integration into production and distribution systems.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Doug Reinemann
Exams were described as thorough but not impossible. Homework and quizzes were clearly laid out for completion.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Assessment of Environmental Impact covers methods for collecting and analyzing information about environmental impacts on agricultural and natural resources, monitoring the physical environment, and relating impacts to people and society.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Survey course on insects' role in the environment, covering beneficial species, disease carriers, agricultural pests affecting food supply, and environmental issues from control agents.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Sean Schoville
Assessments included weekly writing assignments, a mini-documentary, small online quizzes, and a moth-raising project, with no midterm or final exam. Students reported needing to maintain a high percentage to achieve an A.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Analyzes sustainability concepts via trends in energy, water, agriculture, GIS, remote sensing, modeling, and climate change within a science, technology, and policy framework.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Making the American Landscape traces the history and evolution of the American cultural landscape from precolonial times to present.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Spring 2026Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources covers modern GIS desktop and web-based workflows, analyses, and visualizations for environmental planning, featuring guest lectures from professionals.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026A graduate seminar in Environmental Studies covering special topics that change with each offering.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026