Our graduate program allows students to develop skills in analytical, numerical, laboratory, and field work techniques by conducting independent research on important topics such as extreme weather, air quality, cloud processes, ocean-atmosphere interactions, climate change, remote sensing, and forecasting. Our faculty and graduate students are engaged in a broad range of research projects that advance our scientific understanding and are important to society.Faculty members in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences have active research projects. These projects are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Navy, and other sources.The M.S. and Ph.D. programs in atmospheric science follow SoMAS’s unified flexible curriculum in Marine, Atmospheric, and Sustainability Sciences. A typical course of study for an M.S. student in atmospheric science provides rigorous training in atmospheric dynamics, physics (thermodynamics, radiative transfer, microphysics) and chemistry, as well as their application in one of the areas of weather forecasting, remote sensing (satellite and radar), numerical modeling, air quality, cloud formation, tropical meteorology, and climate change. The program prepares students to gain strong communicative, analytical and computer skills for positions in research, education, weather forecasting, management, and environmental protection.Atmospheric science Ph.D. students build on the academic foundation described above to become effective and independent problem solvers investigating cutting edge atmospheric science problems. Students are free to emphasize their own interests in atmospheric science but are expected to acquire a broad base of interdisciplinary knowledge that prepares them for future complex scientific and societal challenges. Our graduates are prepared for postdoctoral appointments and faculty appointments as well as positions directing research at government or industrial laboratories, and managerial positions at not-for-profit and government agencies.
