Course requirements for students entering with B.S. and directly pursuing 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 (ATMS 599 does not count toward this total) | 28 hours |
| Additional approved graduate level courses (can include additional ATMS 599 hours beyond the 16 hours required above) | 32 hours |
| Total Hours | 96 hours |
Course requirements for students entering with M.S. from outside the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and 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* (ATMS 599 does not count toward this total) | 24 hours |
| Additional approved graduate level courses (can include additional ATMS 599 hours beyond the 16 hours required above) | 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
*Students entering the PhD Program in Atmospheric Sciences starting Fall 2022, are required to take 5 of the 6 courses listed below. Students who entered the MS program prior to Fall 2022 fall under the requirements in effect prior to Fall 2022, which included 4 core courses (ATMS 500, 504, 505, and 507).
| *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 (ATMS 599 does not count toward this total) | 24 hours |
| Additional approved graduate level courses (can include additional ATMS 599 hours beyond the 16 hours required above) | 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 Ph.D. requires at least 96 hours of graduate credit, including 32 hours that may be applied from a completed M.S. degree. At least 64 hours must meet the Graduate College’s residence-credit requirement; thesis research hours count toward this requirement. See the Graduate College credit-hour requirements.
Enrollment and assistantships. Full-time enrollment, assistantship eligibility, and tuition and fee assessment have different requirements. Consult the Graduate College course-load guidance and assistantship enrollment requirements before registering or reducing your enrollment. International students should also consult ISSS enrollment guidance.
Campus policy requires students holding fall or spring assistantships to register for those semesters. Continuing students with summer assistantships are not required by campus policy to register for summer if they were registered in the immediately preceding spring or have registered for the following fall.
Seminar and professional development. CliMAS graduate students must enroll in the zero-credit departmental seminar during each academic semester while registered, unless an off-campus exception is approved by the department. Students must also successfully complete ATMS 571, Professional Development, typically during their first fall semester. Students who completed this requirement during their M.S. do not need to repeat it for the Ph.D. The one credit earned in ATMS 571 does not count toward the 32-credit M.S. or 96-credit Ph.D. degree total.
Academic standing. CliMAS Ph.D. students must maintain a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0 and satisfy the department’s separate core-course grade and progress requirements. See the Graduate College academic-standing policy for university requirements and procedures concerning academic warning and drop status.