Master of Science in Atmospheric and Climate Science

The program leading to the degree of Master of Science is intended to enable students to grow with this field throughout their scientific careers, to recognize and understand new concepts, and to master new procedures as they emerge in the literature. Achievement of this objective requires that students 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.

Most students in this department take 7 quarters to complete a non-thesis masters’ degree.

A student’s first year in the program will be spent completing a majority of the required coursework. At the end of a student’s first summer of study, they will give a First Year Seminar, a 20-minute presentation that describes their progress towards defining a thesis topic and articulating the goals and methodology that will be used to carry out their research.

To complete the M.S. degree a student must complete a research project in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Graduate School, presented orally to the student’s committee and defended in discussion, typically as part of the Qualifying exam. A student’s Supervisory Committee decides if a student’s academic performance and defense of their research are satisfactory for graduation.

A detailed outline of the master’s degree procedures can be found here.

Students can opt to complete a thesis-based MS, but this is atypical and requires consultation with the faculty advisor and committee. To see examples of the theses written by graduate students in the Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science, please see the UW library archives: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/4893