Degree Information
Atmospheric Science Program
Degree Requirements
| Sem. Hrs. | |
| I. First-Year Seminars | (2) |
|
II. University Core Curriculum* |
42 |
|
III. Atmospheric Sciences Core Courses |
60 |
|
IV. Atmospheric Sciences Career Track Courses - Electives |
18 |
| Total 120 (122) |
I. First-Year Seminars
Full-time, first-year students are required to take these First-Year Seminar courses:
- UCCP 1101 - First-Year Seminar I. 1 sem. hrs.
- UCCP 1102 - First-Year Seminar II. 1 sem. hrs.
II. University Core Curriculum
*The Core Curriculum includes 42 semester credit hours, within which, MATH 2413 (Calculus I), PHYS 2425 (University Physics I) and PHYS 2426 (University Physics II) are required by the ATSC program. These three 4 semester credit hours courses will result in 3 extra semester credit hours, which may be counted as part of the Component Area Option in the University Core Curriculum. The ATSC Freshmen are encouraged to take advantage of the First-Year Writing classes (ENGL1301 & ENGL1302) as part of the First-year Learning Communities Program to give them opportunities to work together, get to know each other, and learn together.
III. Atmospheric Sciences Core Courses
Students are required to take the following core courses:
- ATSC 2403 - Introduction to Meteorology 4 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 2301 - Weather Observations 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 3305 - Physical Meteorology 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 3306 - Atmospheric Thermodynamics 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 3401 - Synoptic Meteorology 4 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 3402 - Mesoscale Meteorology 4 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4301 - Dynamic Meteorology I 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4302 - Dynamic Meteorology II 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4305 - Remote Sensing 3 sem. hrs.
- CHEM 1411 - General Chemistry I 4 sem. hrs.
- COSC 1330 - Programming for Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians 3 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4335 - Climate and Climate Variability 3 sem. hrs.
- MATH 2414 - Calculus II 4 sem. hrs.
- MATH 3311 - Linear Algebra 3 sem. hrs.
- MATH 3315 - Differential Equations 3 sem. hrs.
- MATH 3470 - Calculus III 4 sem. hrs.
- ESCI 4360 - Physical Oceanography 3 sem. hrs.
- MATH 3345 - Statistical Modeling and Data Analysis 3 sem. hrs.
IV. Career Tracks in Atmospheric Sciences
The atmospheric sciences program offers the general Atmospheric Sciences Track and the Broadcast Meteorologist Track. The students from both tracks will satisfy the requirements for federal employment as a National Weather Service meteorologist (also referred to as NOAA GS1340 positions). A total of 18 semester hours of electives courses are required for both career tracks.
A. Atmospheric Sciences Track
The students in the general atmospheric sciences track are required to take 18 Sem. Hrs. from the following electives.
- ESCI 1401 - Environmental Science I: Intro to Environmental Science 4 sem. hrs.
- ESCI 3351 - Oceanography 3 sem. hrs.
- GISC 1470 - Geospatial Systems I 4 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4496 - Directed Independent Study 1-4 sem. hrs.
- ATSC 4590 - Selected Topics 1-5 sem. hrs.
- PHYS 1304 - Introduction to Astronomy: Solar System 3 sem. hrs.
- CHEM 1412 - General Chemistry II 4 sem. hrs.
- CHEM 3411 - Organic Chemistry I 4 sem. hrs.
- GEOL 4444 - Hydrogeology 4 sem. hrs.
- MATH 4315 - Partial Differential Equations 3 sem. hrs.
- GEOL 1403 - Physical Geology 4 sem. hrs.
- MATH 2305 - Discrete Mathematics I 3 sem. hrs.
B. Broadcast Meteorology Track
Those students interested in becoming broadcast meteorologists should follow the Broadcast Meteorology Track. Students in this track include COMM 1315 Public Speaking as part of their University Core and take ATSC 2101 Weathercasting. These students should take an additional 9 hours from the other electives listed below plus another 5 hours from the Atmospheric Sciences Track electives.
Students interested in English-only broadcasting need to take all 9 hours from the communication (COMM) courses. Students interested in bilingual English-Spanish broadcasting must choose 3 hours from the communication (COMM) courses, and 6 hours from the Spanish (SPAN) courses. An internship experience through COMM 4399 is highly recommended for all broadcast meteorology students, preferably during their junior or senior years.
- ATSC 2101 - Weathercasting 1 sem. hrs.
- COMM 1315 - Public Speaking 3 sem. hrs.
- COMM 2350 - Media Writing and Performance 3 sem. hrs.
- COMM 3312 - Newswriting for Television, Radio, and the Internet 3 sem. hrs.
- COMM 4399 - Communication Internship 3 sem. hrs.
- SPAN 2312 - Spanish IV 3 sem. hrs.
- SPAN 2313 - Spanish for Native Speakers 3 sem. hrs.
- SPAN 3302 - Spanish Composition 3 sem. hrs.
- SPAN 3303 - Spanish Conversation 3 sem. hrs.
C. Physical Science Education Concentration
Information on the physical science education concentration and requirements for teaching certification can be found in the College of Science and Technology: Science, Mathematics and Technology Education section of the catalog.
V. Electives
Courses may be selected from any area to accumulate a total of 120 semester hours with the required number of upper-division hours. In some cases these hours may be used to obtain a minor in another subject.
