Atmospheric Sciences @ UGA

The purpose of the program is to produce graduate scholars in the atmospheric sciences. Students in the agricultural, biological, earth, engineering, mathematical, or physical sciences may find this program of interest. The program gives graduate students the opportunity for in-depth study and research in the atmospheric sciences. Additionally, the program allows graduate students to document their educational achievement and experiences in the atmospheric sciences beyond their graduate major.

Any graduate student pursuing a M.S. or Ph.D. degree with a major housed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, or the School of Forest Resources with the approval of their major professor may be admitted into the graduate Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences Program. The student should submit a formal graduate Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences application, copies of all relevant transcripts, and proposed course of study for the certificate and for their degree to the graduate atmospheric sciences director. Contact the graduate coordinator for details.

The Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences Program is sponsored by the Departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Crop and Soil Sciences, Environmental Health Science, Geography, Marine Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Statistics, and the School of Forest Resources.

Program Requirements

The minimum course requirement for the graduate Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences is 18 graduate semester hours in approved course work beyond the undergraduate atmospheric sciences core. The undergraduate core courses are Weather Analysis (GEOG 3120), Atmospheric Dynamics (GEOG/ENGR 4112), Introductory Atmospheric Physics (ENGR/GEOG 4131-4131L), Atmospheric Thermodynamics (ENGR/GEOG 4111-4111L), and a 3000/4000 level climatology course. Students must make-up any deficiency in their undergraduate preparation. Undergraduate core courses, even if taken at the graduate level, cannot be used to meet the requirements for the graduate certificate.

The student’s advisory committee must have one member of the atmospheric sciences faculty outside the student’s major department. The advisory committee may require additional course work.

Course Work Requirement

The graduate certificate in atmospheric sciences requires a minimum of 15 semester hours in atmospheric or related sciences from the approved list (see below) and three semester hours in advanced analytical methods (see below).

The course work must be distributed as follows:

At least one course in climatology

No more than three (3) courses from the same home department may count toward the certificate
Courses from at least three home departments must be included
Combined undergraduate and graduate course work must ensure a strong foundation in the knowledge, skills, and techniques to allow the student to conduct independent research in the atmospheric sciences. The student’s advisory committee or the graduate certificate academic committee may require additional course work.

Graduate Level Atmospheric and Related Sciences Courses

CRSS6600-6600L: Soil Physics

CRSS 8280-8280L: Crop Responses to Microclimate

ECOL 6240-6240L: Physiological Ecology

EHSC 6080: Environmental Air Quality

EHSC 6100-6100L: Industrial Hygiene (indoor air quality)

EHSC 6350-6350L: Environmental Chemistry

ENGR 6111-6111L: Atmospheric Thermodynamics

ENGR 6130: Bioengineering Systems (environmental biophysics)

ENGR 6131-6131L: Introductory Atmospheric Physics

ENGR 6161-6161L: Environmental Microclimatology

ENGR 6175: Coastal Meteorology (proposed new course)

ENGR 6180: Special Topics in Atmospheric Sciences

ENGR 6410: Open Channel Hydraulics and Sediment Transport

ENGR 6480: Instrumentation for Environmental Quality

FORS 6110: Forest Hydrology

FORS 6120: Quantitative Methods in Hydrology

GEOG 6020: Fluvial Geomorphology

GEOG 6030: Geomorphology and Environmental Change in Karst and Arid Environments

GEOG 6040: Global Environmental Change During the Quaternary

GEOG 6112: Atmospheric Dynamics

GEOG 6120: Synoptic Meteorology/Climatology

GEOG 6140: Satellite Meteorology/Climatology

GEOG 6150: Physical Climatology (proposed new course)

GEOG 6160: Applied Climatology

GEOG 8120: Seminar in Climatology

MARS 6100: Physical Processes of the Ocean.

MARS 8030: General Physical Oceanography

MARS 8120: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

MARS 8150: Ocean Waves

Advanced Analytical Methods Courses

CRSS 8600: Advanced Soil Physics: Numerical Method

GEOL 8740: Hydrologic Flow and Transport Modeling

MATH 6050: Advanced Linear Algebra

MATH 6500 Numerical Analysis I

MATH 6720: Introduction to Partial Differential Equations

PHYS 8402: Methods of Mathematical Physics I

STAT 6280: Applied Time Series Analysis

STAT 8040: Environmental Statistics

Additional Requirements

In addition to the formal course work, the student’s thesis or dissertation must have a major component related to the atmospheric sciences. Students are awarded the Graduate Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences upon completion of all certificate requirements and completion of their University of Georgia M.S. or Ph.D. degree.