Meteorology

Overview

Florida State University has the largest and most complete meteorology program in the southeastern United States, with 16 faculty members and approximately 90 graduate students and 200 undergraduate students. International students are drawn to both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

Learning outcomes

Meteorology graduate students are candidates for both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Qualified students with a baccalaureate degree in meteorology or with a broad background in physics and mathematics can be admitted to the graduate program. Many incoming graduate students do not have prior training in meteorology. Complementary graduate degree programs are offered in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Physical Oceanography, and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Other strong supporting course work is found in the departments of Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biological Science, and Statistics.

Career

Graduates of the department at the B.S. and M.S. levels hold positions in areas such as the National Weather Service, television weathercasting, and private consulting firms, including airlines and investment firms. A number of doctoral graduates hold faculty positions at other universities, and many have leading research roles in such groups as the National Hurricane Research Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Oklahoma; the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado; the NASA Goddard and Marshall Space Flight Centers; and the National Environment Satellite Data Information Service.