General Requirements

 

General Requirements MS

The Department offers two options for an M.S. degree, a thesis option and a non-thesis option.  In both options, students admitted to the M.S. program must complete four of the following six core courses, which represent the major subfields within atmospheric sciences:  

  • Atmospheric Chemistry (ATMS 420),
  • Dynamic Meteorology (ATMS 500),
  • Weather Systems (ATMS 505),
  • Climate Dynamics (ATMS 507),
  • Precipitation Physics (ATMS 510),
  • Atmospheric Radiation (ATMS 511). 

Additional requirements include:

  • Core Course GPA: Students must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) across the core courses (420, 500, 505, 507, 510, 511).
    • Students falling below this GPA in core courses are placed on academic warning.
    • If the GPA remains below 3.0 in the core courses after one additional semester, the student will be placed on drop status.
  • Minimum Grades in Core Courses: A grade of B– or higher is required in each core course.
    • S/U grades are not accepted in these courses.
    • Students who earn a grade lower than a B- in a core course may retake the course once. The higher of the two grades will be used in the GPA calculation.   
    • Failure to earn a B- or better on the second attempt disqualifies the student from completing the MS degree. 
    • Exception: For core courses not offered every year, such as 510 and 511, terminal MS students (i.e., MS students who do not continue to the PhD program) must earn a B– or higher in at least one of the two courses. This exception does not apply to PhD students or MS students continuing to the PhD program.
  • Timing of Core Courses: Students should complete the core requirements as early in their program as possible by completing at least one core course per semester until satisfying the requirements unless an exception is approved in advance by the student’s advisor.
    • Non-core courses may be completed at any time prior to graduation.
    • A grade of W (withdrawal) in a core course counts as non-completion, unless the student obtains prior approval for withdrawal from the Director of Graduate Studies or the Department Head.  
    • Failure to complete at least one core course per academic semester until core requirements are met will result in academic warning.
    • If a student on academic warning does not complete a core course in the following semester, they will be placed on drop status.
  • Dropping Courses:
    • Graduate courses may be dropped before the 8-week deadline using Self-Service.
    • To request a late drop (after the deadline), students must first meet (virtually or in-person) with the Director of Graduate Studies or the Department Head. Late drop requests are not guaranteed to be approved.
    • If pursuing a late drop, students must submit a petition that includes a narrative and any supporting documentation.
    • The Graduate Affairs Committee will review petitions and notify students via email.
    • The final deadline for submitting a late drop request is the last day of instruction.
  • Seminar Participation:  CliMAS graduate students must enroll in the departmental seminar course (0 credit hour) during all academic semesters while registered. Students who are participating in off-campus academic or research opportunities may petition the department for an excused absence.
  • Professional Development: Students must successfully complete the Professional Development course (1 credit hour), typically during the first Fall semester.  
  • M.S. Committee: Each M.S. student will have a committee consisting of the advisor and at least two other faculty members.
    • At least one of the additional committee members must be from CliMAS.
    • The M.S. committee must be formed within one year from the student’s start date.
    • Each student will meet with their committee at least once a year after it is formed. During these meetings the student will present progress, discuss milestones and obtain feedback from committee members
    • The date of each meeting and its outcomes will be documented in the student’s annual review document.
    • The committee will review, the student’s annual progress, the M.S. thesis, and cast a pass/fail vote at the oral defense.
  • Time to Degree: The Department expects that most full-time candidates for the MS degree will be able to complete all the requirements in four to six academic semesters.
  • Time Limits: MS time limits are set by the Graduate College.