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Program Details

Graduate Program: Atmospheric Sciences (PHD)

General Information

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Program/Degree
Atmospheric Sciences (PHD)  
Program Description

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is primarily a research degree. The candidate must complete at least 36 units of graduate course credit in the major field, including a core of 6 units of dynamic meteorology and 6 units of physical meteorology. An additional 18 units of other graduate-level atmospheric sciences courses and 6 units of graduate-level elective coursework completes the 36 credit requirement. In addition, the candidate must complete 18 units of dissertation credit, 2 units of ATMO seminar, and fulfill the minor requirement (typically 12 units, depending on the minor Department). All Ph.D. students must pass a written and oral Comprehensive Examination, and complete and defend a dissertation based on original research.

Students accepted into the graduate program without a Master's of Science (M.S.) degree must first successfully complete the M.S. program before proceeding with the Ph.D. Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.S. degree in another field are permitted to minor within the department with the approval of their committee. This minor will consist of 12 units of atmospheric sciences at the graduate level in subjects other than those directly related to their area of research.

The program is highly quantitative, it is required for applicants to have a strong background in physics and calculus.

Active research in the following areas:

  • Atmospheric Chemistry & Aerosols
  • Changes in Hydrologic Extremes Under a Warmer Climate
  • Climate & Global Change
  • COSMOS Soil Moisture Measurement
  • Improving Monsoon Predictability
  • Integrated Evaluations and Applications of the NASA MERRA Reanalysis Data
  • Land Processes in the NCAR CCSM
  • Land Processes in the NCEP Weather Forecasting Model
  • Radiation & Remote Sensing
  • Tropical Meteorology and Tropical Cyclones
  • Weather Analysis & Predictability
 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences

The Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences offers graduate-level Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in three Majors: Atmospheric Sciences, Hydrology, and Hydrometeorology. You can read about the differences and similarities for these majors here.

To understand the depth and breadth of our teaching and research and learn how these complementary areas guide our efforts, read about our Research Focus Areas here.

Graduate Certificate: Available for Hydrology

Master of Science Non-Thesis Option: Available for Hydrology

Accelerated Master of Science: Combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs are available for the following combinations:

  • UA BS Physics and MS  Atmospheric Sciences degrees
  • UA BS HAS-Atmo Emphasis and MS Atmospheric Sciences degrees
  • UA BS HAS-Environmental Hydrology Emphasis and MS Hydrology degrees

Doctoral Minors: Doctoral Minors are available for Atmospheric Sciences and Hydrology

You can find more information about these programs and review Program Guides and Summary Pages for all degree programs here.

 
College

College of Science

 
Campus where offered

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Lupe Romero
520-621-6831
Graduate Program Coordinator
Lupe Romero
520-621-6831
Director of Graduate Studies
Xiquan Dong
520-621-4652
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Kristi Davenport
520-626-1930
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Please upload the following required documents to the University of Arizona's GradApp online application system:

  • A master's degree in atmospheric sciences or related field of study
  • Scanned copies of original transcripts; There is no need to send original transcripts with official seal and signature unless you are accepted into our program.
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation (submitted online)
  • Resume/CV
  • Scanned copies of TOEFL Report of Scores: Minimum 550 or 95
  • A statement of interest indicating your research preferences
  • The program is highly quantitative, it is required for applicants to have a strong background in physics and calculus. Undergraduate Prerequisite Courses:
    • College Physics 1 Introduction to Mechanics
    • College Physics II: Intro Optics & Thermodynamics OR Electricity and Magnetism
    • Calculus I
    • Calculus II
    • Vector Calculus
    • Ordinary Differential Equations
    • General Inorganic Chemistry I (required for research in atmospheric chemistry and aerosols)
    • General Inorganic Chemistry II (required for research in atmospheric chemistry and aerosols)
 
Standardized Tests

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the GRE Exam will be waived for Fall 2021.

 

Required for International Applicant:

GRE Exam Minimum GRE Quantitative: 159 Minimum GRE Written: 4.5

English Proficiency Exam: Minimum TOEFL: 550 or 95 OR Minimum IELTS: 8

 

As of August 2020, GRE Exam are no longer required for domestic applicants.

 
Funding Opportunities

Our department attempts to support all students as Graduate Research or Teaching Assistants.

Other available funding by the university can be found at https://financialaid.arizona.edu/scholarshipuniverse  and https://grad.arizona.edu/funding/opportunities.

 
Admissions Deadlines

January 15th for Fall Admission.

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: 0501, 0507

NRC Taxon(a) for this program: Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

66 

Core Coursework Requirements

Minimum credits: 14 units

  • ATMO 541A Dynamic Meteorology I* (3 units)
  • ATMO 541B Dynamic Meteorology II* (3 units)
  • ATMO 551A Physical Meteorology I* (3 units)
  • ATMO 551B Physical Meteorology II* (3 units)
  • HWRS 595A Current Topics in Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (2 units)

*A 3.0 GPA in core courses is required to continue in the program

 
Elective Coursework
  • 24 additional credits in coursework related to major field of study. Below are the aproved elective courses:
    • ATMO 521 Physical Climatology (3 units)

      ATMO 524 Hydroclimatology (3 units)

      ATMO 529 Objective Analysis in the Atmospheric and Related Sciences (3 units)

      ATMO 536A Fundamental in Atmospheric Sciences (3 units)

      ATMO 545 Intro Data Assimilation (3 units)

      ATMO 555 Introduction to Data Assimilation (3 units)

      ATMO 558 Mesoscale Meteorological Modeling (3 units)

      ATMO 569A Air Pollution I: Gases (3 units)

      ATMO 569B Air Pollution II: Aerosols (3 units)

      ATMO 574A Weather Analysis and Forecasting I (3 units)

      ATMO 574B Weather Analysis and Forecasting II (3 units)

      ATMO 579 Boundary Layer Meteorology and Surface Processes (3 units)

      ATMO 580 Tropical Meteorology (3 units)

      ATMO 595B Global Climate Change (3 units)

      ATMO 595C General Circulation Observations and Modelling (3 units)

      ATMO 641 Advanced Atmospheric & Oceanic Fluid Dynamics (3 units)

      HWRS 519 Fundamentals of Surface Water (3 units)

      HWRS 543A Risk Assessment for Environmental Systems (3 units)

      CE 523 Hydrology (3 units)

      GC 572 Global Biogeochemical Cycles (3 units)

      GEOG 530 The Climate System (3 units)

      GEOG 539A Introduction to Dendrochronology (4 units)

      GEOS 567 Inverse Problems in Geophysics (3 units)

      GEOS 578 Global Change (3 units)

      GEOS 579 Introduction to Climate Dynamics (3 units)

      GEOS 582 Paleoclimatology (3 units)

      PTYS 537 Physics of the Sun (3 units)

      PTYS 544 Physics of High Atmospheres (3 units)

      PTYS 517 Atmospheres & Remote Sensing (3 units)

      REM 590 Remote Sensing or the Study of Planet Earth (3 units)

      WSM 560A Watershed Hydrology (4 units)

      BE 585 Remote Sensing Data & Methods (3 units)

  • ATMO 920 Dissertation (18 units)
 
Additional Requirements

All students must demonstrate competence in statistics and computer programming (e.g. FORTRAN, MatLab, GrADS, NCL), numerical atmospheric models and specialized instrumentation. Participation in laboratory or field work may be a component. Competence may be demonstrated by successful completion of approved courses in these subjects (undergraduate or graduate level). 

All students must present the results of their research in a formal seminar or presentation at a scientific meeting in the form of an oral or poster presentation. Typically, students present at the HAS annual student research conference, El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera (Spring Semester) or at AGU (December) or AMS (January) meetings.

YEAR 1 Second Semester: Take Doctoral Qualifying Examination – Major, Minor (if any)

YEAR 2.5 to 3: Initiate Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Process – 1) Major Written Examn, 2) Minor Written Exam (if any), and 3) Combined Oral in Major and Minor Programs

YEAR 5 End: Written Disstertation (3 Scholarly Maniscruipts) and take Doctoral Final Oral Examination-Dissertation Defense

 
Minor Requirements for Doctoral Students in this Program

The department requires a minimum of 12 units in a minor field. Please contact the minor field advising department in order to see minor requirements.

Previous doctoral students have minor in the following subjects:

  • Geosciences
  • Geography
  • Global Change
  • Hydrology
  • Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis
  • Optical Sciences
  • Mathematics
 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 72.22%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years) 4.13
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 58.82%
Enrollment Percent Female 41.18%
Enrollment Percent International 52.94%
Enrollment Percent URM 5.88%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2022.
  • Average Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2018-2022) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/ATMOPHD
Last revised 17 Mar 2021
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