The major in Meteorology/Climatology is designed to help you develop an understanding of atmospheric science and the processes and phenomena that result in various types of weather, the spatial and temporal patterns of weather, and the variability of climate.
The Meteorology/Climatology major exceeds the minimum curriculum jointly recommended by the American Meteorological Society and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and also meets the course work requirements for National Weather Service employment. The university belongs to the prestigious University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and its association with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. The program presents opportunities for majors to accept professional internships with federal and state agencies, as well as private industry.
Majors have an exceptionally high success rate in obtaining career positions in their area of expertise or pursuit of graduate degrees. Students in the program have organized a student chapter of the American Meteorological Society, which sponsors field trips, guest speakers, a forecast contest, and an annual banquet. In the past, the chapter has taken overnight field trips to the National Severe Storms Laboratory and Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., and the NWS River Forecast Center in Minneapolis. Majors successfully compete for national prestigious scholarships and fellowships such as the American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowships. A Meteorology/Climatology specialization is available to students pursuing the masters and/or doctorate in Geosciences. Majors enjoy opportunities to conduct undergraduate funded research with faculty in the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences Program.
The Meteorology/Climatology program has a state-of-the-art weather analysis laboratory facility where students get hands-on experience with real-time data. The facility has 15 computer workstations to display and analyze weather data. The software is written to enable beginning students as well as more advanced students to use the workstations easily.
You will be able to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to current real-time weather situations. For example, students often gather in the laboratory during severe weather events to display current surface and upper air conditions, radar images and satellite pictures to determine where the severe weather will take place.
