Professors. J. D. Horel, S. K. Krueger, W. J.
Steenburgh, E. J. Zipser.
Associate Professors. G. G. Mace.
Assistant Professors. T. J. Garrett, K. D. Perry, Z. Pu,
T. J. Reichler.
Auxiliary Faculty. W. Cheng, L. Cook, B. Demoz, F. Hasler,
M. A. Jenkins, S. M. Lazarus, G. Poulos, E. Robl, V.
Salomonson, K. Werner.
Professor Emeritus and Emerita. D. Dickson, N. Fukuta, J.
E.Geisler, J. N. Paegle.
Undergraduate Advisor. John Horel (Students with last
names: A-L), 483 INSCC, 581-7091; Kevin Perry (Students with
last names: M-Z), 815 WBB, 581-6138. Email for both is
advising@met.utah.edu.
Meteorology seeks to understand the behavior and
predictability of the Earth’s atmosphere and requires good
foundations in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer
science. Required undergraduate meteorology courses are
combined with courses in other disciplines to develop an
academic background that is appropriate for a variety of
employment opportunities. Graduate students receive advanced
training in meteorology and usually perform research under
the direction of a faculty advisor in specialty fields that
include climate modeling, mountain meteorology, numerical
weather prediction, large-scale and mesoscale modeling,
remote sensing, radiative transfer, synoptic meteorology,
atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, and data assimilation.
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B.S.
The
primary goal of the undergraduate curriculum for majors is
to provide a foundation of knowledge about the atmosphere.
In addition, the program is intended to encourage the
development of technical skills (writing, speaking,
computer) that will lead to productive careers in
meteorology or other environmental fields. The undergraduate
curriculum also provides the preparation required for
advanced degrees in atmospheric science or related fields
for those students intending to continue to graduate school.
The student must meet with the appropriate department
faculty advisor at least once each year for program approval
and a review of progress. Many students require five years
to complete the B.S. degree. To complete the degree program
in less times requires a foundation in mathematics and
science prior to entering the University. For example, to
complete the degree program in four years, students should
be ready to take MATH 1210 (i.e. Calculus I) during the
first semester. The student who needs to take preparatory
math courses may be able to complete the degree requirements
in four years if they attend summer sessions.
There are three upper-division programs of study: (1) the
professional meteorologist option, (2) the environmental
scientist option, and (3) the atmospheric scientist option.
The curriculum is designed such that once a student begins
one of the three upper division programs, the requirements
for the B.S. degree should be able to be completed in two
years. Students who transfer to the University and have
completed the math, physics, chemistry, and computer science
lower-division requirements (but have not taken all of the
required lower-division meteorology courses) may also be
able to complete the degree requirements in two years.
Professional Meteorologist.
This program satisfies the requirements of the federal
government for employment as a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service. Other government agencies and
private firms expect graduates to have completed course work
similar to that required by the professional meteorologist
program. This option is intended to provide each graduate
with a solid foundation in meteorology and enable the
student to become conversant in related fields such as
hydrology, air pollution, oceanography, computer science,
and communications. Successful completion of this program
requires students to maintain an overall G.P.A. of 2.0 or
higher and receive a letter grade of C- or higher in all
courses required for the major. Students must consult with
an advisor for approval of elective courses.
Environmental Scientist.
This option encourages interdisciplinary inquiry into the
role of the atmosphere in the environmental system. For
example, students may choose to emphasize mountain weather
and climate processes by supplementing the core curriculum
with hydrology, snow science, and avalanche courses in other
departments. Interdisciplinary studies in air pollution,
remote sensing, geographic information systems, and public
policy are also possible. Students must consult with an
advisor for approval of an appropriate course sequence.
Students who enroll in this program will meet all of the
federal employment requirements for meteorologists.
Successful completion of this program requires students to
maintain an overall G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher and receive a
letter grade of C- or higher in all courses required for the
major.
Atmospheric Scientist.
This program is intended for the student who excels
academically and who may wish to attend graduate school. It
is intended to develop further background in math, physics,
and computer science. Students who enroll in this program
will meet all of the federal employment requirements for
meteorologists. Successful completion of this program
requires a combined G.P.A. in all college courses of 3.0 or
higher.
Meteorology Minor.
The minor provides students with an introduction to the
impacts of the atmosphere upon society. A minor in
Meteorology provides a way to diversify a student’s
background and apply fundamental scientific principles in an
interdisciplinary way. Students must complete six required
courses in the department (for example, 1010, 1020, 2810,
3000, 3100, 3110). Engineering and science majors should
contact an advisor for an appropriate alternative course
sequence (for example, 2810, 3110, 3410, 5110, 5210, 5410).
Successful completion of the minor requires students to
receive a letter grade of C- or better in all meteorology
courses.
Second B.S. Degree.
It is becoming increasingly common to have students
interested in obtaining a second B.S. degree in meteorology
after obtaining one in another discipline. Students must
satisfy the University requirements as well as the
lower-division math, chemistry, physics, and computer
science courses. Students who have received a B.A. or B.S.
degree in other fields should also consider completing a
year of upper division undergraduate course work prior to
admission to the graduate program. Contact an advisor for
further information on either of these options.
Undergraduate Counseling.
To help students maintain high scholastic standards, the
department has appointed advisors to consult with them about
their academic progress. The student is assigned an advisor
upon declaring a major. We recommend that students consult
their advisors at least twice each year and require that
everyone consult with their advisors yearly. Failure to do
so may result in dismissal from the degree program. Please
send email to advising@met.utah.edu to schedule an
appointment with an advisor.
Scholastic Standards.
The B.S. degree requires a minimum overall G.P.A. of 2.0
with a letter grade of C- or higher in all courses required
for the major. With the exception of Meteorology 2810 and
5810, grades of Credit are accepted only in General
Education courses or in electives outside the department.
Students who drop below the minimum G.P.A. are put on
departmental probation until grades rise above the minimum.
Scholarships.
Many scholarships or other forms of financial aid are
available to undergraduate students. Application for
departmental scholarships should be made to the department.
Applications for all other scholarships or financial aid
should be made directly to the Office of Financial Aid and
Scholarships.
Requirements for the Major
Total
Hours: 122
A minimum of 122 semester credit hours are required for
graduation of which 40 credit hours must be upper-division
courses. Students must also maintain an overall G.P.A. of
2.0 or higher, receive a grade of C- or higher in all
courses required for the major, and satisfy university
requirements for graduation.
Lower-Division Required Courses
1. METEO 1010, 1020, 2810, 3000, 3100
2. MATH 1210, 1220
3. MATH 2210, 2250
4. CHEM 1210, 1215
5. PHYS 2210, 2215, 2220, 2225
6. CS 1000, 1010
7. WRTG 2010
The following is a possible course sequence for
lower-division courses.
Lower-Division Year 1
Fall Semester (14 units)
METEO 1010 (3), 2810 (1)
MATH 1210 (4)
CS 1010 (3)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
Spring Semester (15 units)
METEO 1020 (3)
MATH 1220 (4)
CHEM 1210 (4), 1215 (1)
CS 1000 (3)
Lower-Division Year 2
Fall Semester (17 units)
METEO 3000 (3)
MATH 2210 (3)
PHYS 2210 (4), 2219 (1)
WRTG 2010 (3)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
Spring Semester (17 units)
METEO 3100 (3)
MATH 2250 (3)
PHYS 2220 (4), 2225 (1)
American Institutions (3)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
Upper-Division Required Courses
1. METEO 3110, 3410, 3510, 5110
2. METEO 5120, 5140, 5210, 5410
3. METEO 5530, 5540, 5810
4. Diversity Course (3)
5. Upper Division Writing/Communication Course (3) (e.g.
WRTG 3400, GEO 3200,. PHYS 3680)
6. Technical Elective
Professional Meteorologist Option
Upper-Division Year 1
Fall Semester (15 units)
METEO 3110 (3)
METEO 3410 (3)
GEO 3200, PHYS 3680, WRTG 3400, or, with consent of an
adviser, another course that meets the upper division
university writing/communication requirement (3)
Diversity Course (3)
Technical Elective (3)
Spring Semester (15 units)
METEO 3510 (3)
METEO 5110 (3)
METEO 5410 or 5120 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
Intellectual Exploration (3)
Technical Elective (3)
Upper-Division Year 2
Fall Semester (13 units)
METEO 5210 (3)
METEO 5530 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
Technical elective (3)
Spring Semester (16 units)
METEO 5540 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
METEO 5120 or 5410 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
METEO 5540 (3)
Technical Electives (6)
Environmental Scientist Option
Upper-Division Year 1
Fall Semester (15 units)
METEO 3110 (3)
METEO 3410 (3)
GEO 3200, PHYS 3680, WRTG 3400, or, with consent of an
adviser, another course that meets the upper division
university writing/communication requirement (3)
Diversity Course (3)
Technical Elective (3)
Spring Semester (15 units)
METEO 3510 (3)
METEO 5110 (3)
METEO 5410 or 5120 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
Intellectual Exploration (3)
Technical Elective (3)
Upper-Division Year 2
Fall Semester (13 units)
METEO 5210 (3)
METEO 5530 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
Technical elective (6)
Spring Semester (16 units)
METEO 5540 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
METEO 5120 or 5410 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
METEO 5540 (3)
Technical Electives (6)
Atmospheric Scientist Option
Upper-Division Year 1
Fall Semester (14 units)
METEO 3110 (3)
METEO 3410 (3)
GEO 3200, PHYS 3680, WRTG 3400, or, with consent of an
adviser, another course that meets the upper division
university writing/communication requirement (3)
Diversity Course (3)
MATH 3150 (2)
Spring Semester (17 units)
METEO 3510 (3)
METEO 5110 (3)
METEO 5410 or 5120 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
Intellectual Exploration (3)
MATH 3160 (2)
Technical Elective (3)
Upper-Division Year 2
Fall Semester (17 units)
METEO 5210 (3)
METEO 5530 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
Intellectual Exploration Course (3)
MATH 5600 (4)
PHYS 3740 (3)
Spring Semester (13 units)
METEO 5540 (3)
METEO 5810 (1)
METEO 5120 or 5410 (3) (courses offered alternate years)
METEO 5540 (3)
PHYS 3760 (3)
M.S., Ph.D.
Admission Requirements. Prospective
graduate students must satisfy the admission requirements
specified in the Graduate Information section of this
catalog. In addition, graduate students are expected to have
passed basic courses in math, physics, chemistry and
computer science equivalent to those required for the B.S.
These requirements can be summarized as follows: one year of
calculus, one year of additional mathematics that includes
ordinary and partial differential equations and linear
algebra, one year of calculus-based physics, one semester
(two quarters) of college chemistry, and a minimum of one
semester of computer science. The combined G.P.A. of these
courses should exceed 3.0.
Areas of Specialization.
Faculty research areas include cloud and boundary layer
modeling, tropical convection, hurricanes, cloud physics,
atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, remote sensing of
clouds and precipitation, regional climate, mountain
meteorology and climate, numerical weather prediction,
mesoscale modeling and data assimilation, and cloud
parameterization in climate models.
Examinations.
After the end of the first year, a departmental committee
conducts an examination to test the student’s
problem-solving aptitude and knowledge of course content.
The examination serves as both the M.S. comprehensive
examination and Ph.D. qualifying examination. Satisfactory
performance on the examination permits the student to pursue
the thesis option for the M.S. degree. Outstanding
performance on the examination permits the student to choose
between: (1) direct admission into the Ph.D. program, (2)
the thesis option for the M.S. degree, or (3) the nonthesis
option for the M.S. degree.
Master’s Degree.
Requirements for the M.S. degree include the following: (1)
receive at least a B in all three meteorology core courses,
(2) pass a minimum of 11 additional semester hours of
approved courses, (3) maintain an average grade of B or
better, (4) pass the graduate examination described above,
and (5) complete a satisfactory thesis.
Ph.D. Degree.
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree include the following: (1)
one year of the doctoral program in full-time academic work
at the University of Utah (2) maintain an average grade of B
or better (3) pass the graduate examination described above
(4) complete a dissertation that demonstrates independent
research and contributes significantly toward a better
understanding of atmospheric phenomena (5) successfully
defend the dissertation at a final oral examination.
Financial Aid.
As a result of the strong research programs in the
Department, nearly all students are awarded a competitive
research assistantship, which includes for qualified
students, participation in the Graduate Tuition Benefit Plan
and the Subsidized Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan.
For requirements and policies on these two programs visit
the Graduate School home page at www.utah.edu/gradschool.
Financial compensation for assistantships range from $20,000
to $22,000 per year.
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Meteorology 
