Degree of Master of Science in Atmospheric Sciences

Objective: The program leading to the degree of Master of Sciences is intended to enable the student to grow with his field throughout his scientific career, to recognize and understand new concepts, and to master new procedures as they emerge in the literature.

Achievement of this objective requires that the student understand the fundamental principles of physics that are relevant to the atmosphere, acquire a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of atmospheric properties and behavior, and develop critical facilities.

M.S. Requirements

1. A minimum of 36 quarter credits (27 graded course credits and a minimum of 9 credits of thesis) must be presented, of which at least 3 credits must be in approved applied mathematics courses and 24 must be in atmospheric sciences courses numbered above 500 (exclusive of seminars, colloquia or research credits).

2. The Graduate School accepts numerical grades in (a) approved 400-level courses accepted as part of the major, and (b) in all 500-level courses. A minimum cumulative gradepoint average of 3.0 is required for a graduate degree at the University. A minimum grade of 2.7 must be earned in each course presented to satisfy the required 24 credits of atmospheric sciences courses numbered above 500 (exclusive of research or thesis) and the 3 credits in applied mathematics.

3. By the end of the third week of the fall quarter of each Master’s student’s second academic year, the student and the faculty advisor must submit a coauthored thesis plan to the student’s thesis committee. An informational copy will also be filed with the departmental office. The plan should be only a few pages long; it should concisely present the questions to be addressed and the methodology that will be used in the thesis research. The plan should include a nominal timetable, indicating milestones against which the next year’s progress can be measured. This plan must be approved by the student’s thesis committee by the end of the fifth week of autumn quarter. There are no automatic penalties for deviations from this plan or failure to meet the estimates in the timetable. The thesis plan simply provides a well-defined launching point for the remainder of the thesis research.

4. The M.S. thesis should be directed toward the solution of a problem of substantial scientific importance and should demonstrate the student's ability to use research methods in a limited area and to discuss critically the student's own and other investigators' work. The student must submit a graduation application in person at the Graduate School during the first two weeks of the quarter of graduation. The thesis must be prepared in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Graduate School, and must be approved by the Supervisory Committee, presented orally to the faculty and students, and defended in discussion. In addition to the two copies of each thesis that must be submitted to the Graduate School, one copy must be filed with the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee and one with the Department.

M.S. Degree checklist