Course requirements for students entering with B.S. and directly pursing Ph.D.
*Students entering the PhD Program in Atmospheric Sciences starting Fall 2022, are required to take 5 of the 6 courses listed below.
|
*ATMS 420, ATMS 500, ATMS 505, ATMS 507, ATMS 510, and ATMS 511 |
20 hours |
|
ATMS 599 Thesis Research (min applied toward degree) |
16 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses (excluding ATMS 599) |
28 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses (including ATMS 599) |
32 hours |
|
Total Hours |
96 hours |
Course requirements for students entering with M.S. from outside the Department of Atmospheric Sciences
|
M.S. Credit transferred to the Ph.D. degree |
32 hours |
|
ATMS 599 Thesis Research (min applied toward degree) |
16 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses* (excluding ATMS 599) |
24 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses (including ATMS 599) |
24 hours |
|
Total Hours |
96 hours |
*These courses must include 5 of the 6 of ATMS 420, ATMS 500, ATMS 505, ATMS 507, ATMS 510, and ATMS 511 if equivalent courses were not taken as part of the student’s M.S. degree. Equivalency will be determined by the department after review of the course syllabi.
Course requirements for students with an M.S. from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences
|
M.S. Credit transferred to the Ph.D. degree |
32 hours |
|
ATMS 599 Thesis Research (min applied toward degree) |
16 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses (excluding ATMS 599) |
24 hours |
|
Additional approved graduate level courses (including ATMS 599) |
24 hours |
|
Total Hours |
96 hours |
Other Requirements1
|
Qualifying Exam |
No |
|
Preliminary Exam |
Yes |
|
Final Exam/Dissertation Required |
Yes |
|
Dissertation Deposit Required |
Yes |
|
Minimum GPA |
3.0 |
1For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Graduate College Handbook
Additional Information
The Graduate College requires 96 hours of credit for the Ph.D., 32 hours of which may be earned from a completed M.S. degree. At least 64 hours, which may include research (thesis) credits, must be in courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Graduate students are considered full time students if enrolled for at least 12 credits per semester in the Fall and Spring semesters. Atmospheric science students with half-time assistantships must take at least 8 credits per semester to maintain their assistantships. Normally graduate students register for at least 12 credits. Graduate students are required to register for 6 credits in the summer to hold an assistantship and be considered full time. When entering with a B.S. degree, the Ph.D. credit requirement can be satisfied in 3 years by maintaining minimum credit for full time status (i.e., 8 credit hours, or 2 courses per semester). When entering with a M.S. degree, the Ph.D credit requirement can be met in 1.5 years (i.e., 8 credit hours, or 2 courses per semester).
In addition to the credit hour requirements listed above, DAS graduate students are required to enroll in the departmental seminar course (0 credit hour) for all academic semesters while registered as a graduate student. Students must also successfully complete the departmental course on Professional Development (ATMS 571, 1 credit hour), typically during the first semester of the program. The credit from this course does not count towards the M.S. or Ph.D. course requirements.
Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher while enrolled in the Ph.D. program, in accordance with guidelines set by the Illinois Graduate College. The Graduate College Handbook describes rules for probation and dismissal for students not maintaining the minimum GPA.