General Requirements

General Requirements PhD

All candidates for the Ph.D. degree are required to have completed five 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 all 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 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 receiving a grade lower than B– may retake the course once. The highest grade will be used in GPA calculations. Failure to earn a B– or higher on the second attempt will disqualify the student from completing the Ph.D. degree.
• Timing of Core Courses: Students are expected to complete the core course requirements as early in their program as possible by completing at least one core course per semester until satisfying the requirements.
  • 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.  
  • Students who have not fulfilled the core course requirements by the end of their fifth academic semester from the time they enter the graduate program will be placed on academic warning.
  • Students on academic warning who fail to complete the core course requirements after one additional semester 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.
• Entrance Criteria into PhD with only Bachelor’s Degree
  • All incoming students having only Bachelor’s degrees are placed automatically on the M.S. thesis track.
  • Ph.D. Petition Option: Students may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC), with advisor consent and support letter.
  • Eligibility Requirements
    • Complete 5 of 6 core courses (ATMS 420, 500, 505, 507, 510, 511) in first 3 semesters
    • Earn ≥3.5 GPA across core courses, no grade below B
    • Show Ph.D.-level research progress
    • No substitutions allowed for core courses
  • Research Prospectus & Presentation
    • Written prospectus (≤5 pages) covering background, methods, results (if any), and significance
  • Deadlines:
    • Fall admits: August 15 (end of Year 1)
    • Spring admits: first day of following Spring semester
  • Oral presentation (≤30 minutes) in first week of semester after Year 1
  • Prospectus due 2 weeks before presentation
  • Used only to assess readiness for Ph.D. (not graded, not an exam).
  • Approval Process
    • Advisor cannot serve on petition committee; alternate appointed if needed
    • Requires majority GAC vote + Department Head approval
• Preliminary Exam: All Ph.D. students must pass a preliminary examination based on a written dissertation proposal and an oral exam.
  • Each exam committee must include at least:
    • 4 voting members
    • 3 Graduate Faculty members
    • 2 Illinois tenured faculty members
    • Each committee must include at least 2 faculty members from CliMAS

    • PhD students are required to take their first, and if necessary, second attempt of the preliminary exam within the following timetable. Students who have not met these requirements during this period will be placed on academic warning. 

       

• Students on academic warning who fail to complete these requirements after one additional semester will be placed on drop status.
• Seminar Participation: CliMAS Ph.D. students must enroll in the departmental seminar course (0 credit hour) during all academic semesters while registered. Students participating in off-campus academic or research opportunities may petition for an excused absence.
• Professional Development: Students must successfully complete the Professional Development course (1 credit hour), typically during the first Fall semester in the program.  Students may satisfy this requirement during their MS degree.
• Time to Degree: The Department expects that most full-time candidates for the PhD degree will be able to complete all the requirements in six to eight academic semesters for students entering with an MS from our department. An additional two to four semesters may be needed for students entering the program with a BS or an MS from outside our department due to additional course requirements.
• Time limits: Time limits for completion of the PhD degree are established by the Graduate College.