The Arctic and Northern studies program is an interdisciplinary program for the study of problems and policy issues specific to the Arctic and circumpolar North. Topics related to Arctic and Northern studies include: Arctic politics and policy Northern history Individual topics At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Arctic and Northern studies students can benefit from the extensive Northern expertise and research activities of UAF faculty, rich Alaska and circumpolar collections of the UAF Rasmuson Library and University of Alaska Museum of the North, and, of course, being surrounded by the North itself. Arctic and Northern studies faculty have won major awards for excellence in teaching, research, and public service.

More than ever before, research critical to humanity’s survival is taking place in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. In recent years, as climate change has threatened the global environment, the world’s eyes have turned to the Arctic, where the pace of warming is more than double that elsewhere in the world. Similarly, threats from environmental pollution are also magnified in the Arctic. Residents of the circumpolar north don’t have to imagine how climate change and environmental pollution might affect them in a decade or two. Communities are already experiencing the devastating effects of coastal erosion, sea ice melt, crumbling infrastructure resulting from melting permafrost, and the most destructive wildfires on record, while toxins accumulate within their traditional foods. This fully online program provides students the opportunity to study these and many other compelling issues in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. By connecting with supportive faculty experts in history, political science, Alaska Native studies, anthropology, English, and geography, you will develop knowledge of the circumpolar region and become an expert in your chosen field of concentration, while sharpening your analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.