MS in Atmospheric Sciences

The rapid growth of research in atmospheric sciences began in the late 1940s in response to weather forecasting needs and opportunities. While fundamental research to advance weather forecasting abilities continues as a core element, atmospheric sciences now address a broad range of fundamental interest and importance problems. Examples include climate changes that could result from increases in atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases, causes and impacts of air pollution, interactions between the atmosphere and ecosystems, and the application of remote-sensing techniques to the monitoring and understanding of weather, climate, and atmospheric composition.

Graduate students in the atmospheric sciences come from various disciplines: physics, chemistry, engineering, atmospheric or geophysical sciences, and applied mathematics. Opportunities are broad enough that each of these backgrounds is valuable for specific subfields within the atmospheric sciences. However, students of atmospheric sciences should have a sound background in the fundamentals of physics and applied mathematics and an interest in complex natural phenomena. Research projects and graduate courses in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences are closely related, and the well-prepared graduate student may expect to begin research work rather quickly.