Career In Meteorology

Meteorology-Masters degree vs. P.h.D.?

In addition to the credits earned from the Bachelors degree, what additional credits would be needed to earn a Masters degree in meteorology? Additional requirements to earn a P.h.D. from a Masters degree? Would a thesis or some sort of dissertation be required to earn a Masters degree? What would be required in the thesis or dissertation for the Masters degree? What must be included for the P.h.D.? Sources?

Public Comments

1. A masters degree is about two more years of coursework after a bachelors degree. Some programs may also require you write a thesis (and if you're going to apply for a PhD program, that's a good idea) and/or pass a qualifying exam. A PhD program will almost certainly expect you to pass a qualifying exam, and they'll require a dissertation as well. A PhD is another 2-6 years after the masters.
2. What coursework is required depends on the policies of the graduate school. Usually the first two years of graduate school are mostly advanced classroom work, mostly in your major, some in a minor. Sometimes a thesis is required for a master's, sometimes it isn't. It depends on the policies of the school. The coursework for the Ph.D. would be similar to that for a master's, but the student must do an original research project and write a dissertation on the results. Below is a link to Penn State's descriptions of their graduate programs in meteorology. Other schools should have similar pages on their web sites so that you can compare and contrast the requirements.