Courses

The BSE curriculum is drawn from departments around the University. We provide our students with course guides to help our students navigate what courses will be available to fulfill the requirements of BSE each semester. Occasionally we miss a course, so do check Schedule Builder if there is a course you are expecting to see that you do not. We post a new course guide one week before registration opens, but you can always view the University Catalogs for a complete list of course offerings. 

BSE Course Guides

To access the BSE course guide, you can follow this link or go to z.umn.edu/BSEcourse

APAS updates, Course Petitions, Study Abroad Credit, & Transfer equivalency information
  • APAS Updates. If you have taken a course that you think should be fulfilling a requirement but is not showing up in your APAS as fulfilling that requirement, please send an email to [email protected] with the following format:
    • Subject: APAS Update for BSE
    • Body: Include your name, your student ID number, the course that is not showing up where it should, and the requirement that you think the course should be fulfilling.
  • Course Petitions. If you have taken a course or would like to take a course that is not currently listed as being accepted for credit for BSE, you may petition to have that course accepted.  Petitions will not always be granted. To petition please send an email to [email protected] that includes the following:
    • Subject: BSE Course Petition
    • Your name, student id number, and expected graduation term
    • The name, course number, and syllabus of the course you would like to have counted
    • The requirement you want the course to fulfill
    • A paragraph that explains why you need the course to count and how the course fulfills the spirit of the requirement you suggest that it should fulfill
  • Study Abroad Credit. Study abroad is an experience we encourage all students to consider. We work hard to help students get as much major credit as possible. To figure out what study abroad courses count for BSE, you should do the following:
    • Identify the programs you are interested in and the courses that interest you 
    • Email the BSE adviser at [email protected] a list of the course names, titles, course descriptions, and the syllabi if you can get them.
    • Make an appointment to meet with the BSE staff adviser at z.umn.edu/geogappts 
    • At the appointment we will talk over the courses that will work best and fill out the course approval form
  • Transfer Courses. If you are a transfer student coming to the U of MN or a U of MN student looking to fulfill a requirement at another school, you will need to use the Transferology website to find course equivalents. To accurately determine if a course will transfer to the U of MN, you will need to start from the U of MN course that you think is an equivalent to the course you want to take elsewhere. You can find a brief guide on how to find replacement courses for UMN courses here.
Permission Numbers

If you need a permission number to enroll in BSE 2001 or BSE 3991, send an email that includes your name, your student ID, and your year in college to [email protected]

Need a permission number for another course? Contact the instructor of the class or the departmental advisor for the department in which the course is housed. The BSE adviser can give out permission numbers for courses with the BSE and GEOG designators.