Department of Atmospheric Sciences Academic Programs

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers a comprehensive education in the Atmospheric Sciences leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences and the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees (see graduate school listing). The degree is awarded in the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. A minimum of a 2.50 GPA is required for admittance into the program and for graduation. The degree is designed to prepare graduates for professional careers in applied meteorology or for graduate studies.

Facilities

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences has several unique research and teaching facilities. Four primary research facilities are used in national and international research programs: a C-band dual polarization Doppler weather radar; a surface transportation weather test site; an atmospheric and hydrologic observations ground site; and a Cessna Citation II research jet. Teaching facilities include laboratories for use in cloud physics and instrumentation and a high

performance computing cluster. The Regional Weather Information Center supports weather analysis and forecasting classes, along with operational research efforts. Current research areas include clouds and climate change, ground/satellite remote sensing, atmospheric aerosols, radar meteorology, mesoscale numerical modeling, atmospheric transport, data assimilation, and surface transportation weather. Students also have the opportunity to produce and broadcast weather segments for cable television and the Internet.