Our Academic Programs
Our mission is to provide interdisciplinary education, research, and programming that equips engineers, scientists, and mathematicians with the knowledge and skills to tackle complex environmental issues.
Our Academic Programs
The Hixon Center now offers two joint majors, designed for students who wish to combine their passion for a particular area of STEM with a background in the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change.
Our new climate curriculum focuses on four fundamental pillars of climate science: climate dynamics, climate impacts, climate solutions, and climate contexts. HMC students will develop deep knowledge of the climate system along with practical skills in state-of-the-art data science and modeling techniques and an understanding of the impacts of climate change on society. The curriculum builds upon the foundation of Mudd’s Core Curriculum by fostering critical thinking skills across disciplinary boundaries, promoting effective communication and collaboration, and challenging our students to reflect on how STEM interacts with our environment. Our approach seeks to produce graduates who can make informed, justice-oriented decisions about climate change solutions and mitigation efforts.
Computer Science and Climate
Computer science innovation expands the possibilities for many climate-relevant areas including climate justice, clean energy system infrastructure, earth system data retrieval, and climate prediction. Given the prevalence of large, complex datasets in climate science, computational thinking supports the development of climate literacy, while complementary coursework in climate science, impacts, interventions, and contexts adds breadth and perspective for students who wish to become knowledgeable in this highly interdisciplinary space. Our philosophy supports graduates who are human-factor conscious, ethics aware, and impact literate.
Chemistry and Climate
Chemistry is central to many critical aspects of climate science and climate solutions, including innovations in clean energy technology, green materials, and improved representations of atmospheric and ocean systems in climate models across all scales. Chemical intuition supports the development of climate literacy, while coursework in climate science, impacts, interventions, and contexts adds breadth and perspective for students who wish to become knowledgeable in this highly interdisciplinary space.
Harvey Mudd College is a place for problem-solvers. Students will develop their skills and knowledge by participating in faculty-led research and scholarship, capstone experiences including senior thesis and our team-based Clinic Program, and student-initiated projects, such as those sponsored by the Shanahan Fund.
New joint majors under development
The Hixon Center is pleased to announce our new hires in Biology/Climate and Mathematics/Climate. In partnership with our new faculty, we are in the process of developing new joint majors in Biology and Climate and in Mathematics and Climate. Students can expect these new programs to be available in the next year or two.