The following degree requirements are in effect for UWM students who began their studies before Fall 2022. A sample four-year plan following these degree requirements is available by clicking here. Please contact the Program Chair with any questions.
Atmospheric Science (BS) Major Requirements
In addition to the requirements listed below, students must also complete UWM’s General Education Requirements and the College of Letters & Science’s breadth requirements. Atmospheric Science majors fulfill the Quantitative Literacy and Natural Sciences distribution/breadth requirements as part of the major.
General Requirements
Students must complete at least 15 upper-division (numbered 300 and above) credits in the major in residence at UWM. The College of Letters & Science requires that students attain at least a 2.0 GPA on all credits in the major attempted at UWM. In addition, students must attain a 2.0 GPA on all major credits attempted, including any transfer work.
Capstone Experience
The Capstone Experience represents the culmination of a student’s undergraduate studies, through which students complete a research paper on a topic that they choose in consultation with a faculty mentor. Our major’s Capstone Experience course is ATM SCI 599, and students must obtain a professor’s consent to enroll in this course.
The following courses are required for the Atmospheric Science major:
Preparatory Curriculum1
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MATH 231 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | 4 |
MATH 232 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | 4 |
MATH 233 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry III | 4 |
MATH 234 or MATH 240 | Linear Algebra and Differential Equations or Matrices and Applications | 3-4 |
CHEM 102 | General Chemistry | 5 |
PHYSICS 209 & PHYSICS 214 |
Physics I (Calculus Treatment) and Lab Physics I (Calculus Treatment) |
5 |
PHYSICS 210 & PHYSICS 215 |
Physics II (Calculus Treatment) and Lab Physics II (Calculus Treatment) |
5 |
COMPSCI 202 | Introductory Programming Using Python | 3 |
Total Credits | 33-34 |
1 |
These courses are required for the major but do not count toward calculating the major GPA. For students in UWM’s Honors College, MATH 221 and MATH 222 are equivalent to MATH 231, MATH 232, and MATH 233. |
Core Curriculum
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
ATM SCI 240 | Introduction to Meteorology | 3 |
ATM SCI 330 | Air-Pollution Meteorology | 3 |
ATM SCI 350 | Atmospheric Thermodynamics | 3 |
ATM SCI 351 | Dynamic Meteorology I | 3 |
ATM SCI 352 | Dynamic Meteorology II | 3 |
ATM SCI 360 | Synoptic Meteorology I | 4 |
ATM SCI 361 | Synoptic Meteorology II | 4 |
ATM SCI 464 | Physical Meteorology: Cloud Physics | 3 |
ATM SCI 511 | Seminar in Atmospheric Radiation and Remote Sensing | 3 |
ATM SCI 599 | Capstone Experience | 1 |
MATH 320 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
Total Credits | 33 |
Electives
Select at least 9 credits from the following list:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
ATM SCI 460 | Mesoscale Circulations | |
ATM SCI 470 | Tropical Meteorology | |
ATM SCI 480 | The General Circulation and Climate Dynamics | |
ATM SCI 497 | Study Abroad: | |
ATM SCI 500 | Statistical Methods in Atmospheric Sciences | |
ATM SCI 505 | Micrometeorology | |
ATM SCI 600 | Data Analytics | |
ATM SCI 690 | Seminar in Atmospheric Sciences: | |
MATH 313 | Linear Programming and Optimization | |
MATH 315 | Mathematical Programming and Optimization | |
MATH 321 | Vector Analysis | |
MATH 322 | Introduction to Partial Differential Equations | |
MATH 405 | Mathematical Models and Applications | |
MATH 413 | Introduction to Numerical Analysis | |
MATH 415 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | |
MATH 417 | Computational Linear Algebra | |
MATH 521 | Advanced Calculus I | |
MATH 522 | Advanced Calculus II | |
MATH 535 | Linear Algebra | |
MATH 571 | Introduction to Probability Models | |
MATH 581 | Introduction to the Theory of Chaotic Dynamical Systems | |
MATH 601 | Advanced Engineering Mathematics I | |
MATH 602 | Advanced Engineering Mathematics II | |
MATH 615 | Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations | |
MATH 617 | Optimization | |
MTHSTAT 361 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics I | |
MTHSTAT 362 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics II | |
MTHSTAT 467 | Introductory Statistics for Physical Sciences and Engineering Students | |
MTHSTAT 563 | Regression Analysis | |
MTHSTAT 564 | Time Series Analysis | |
Total Credits | 9 |