UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

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Atmospheric Sciences

Effective Fall 2024, this certificate is no longer available.

Contact Person
Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd
Department of Geography
marshgeo@uga.edu
(706) 542-0517
www.uga.edu/atsc

Description of the Program
The undergraduate Certificate Program in Atmospheric Sciences is designed for students who wish to supplement their majors with an in–depth understanding of the atmosphere. This program is open to any undergraduate or post–baccalaureate student meeting the entrance requirements outlined below. (Post–baccalaureate students are college graduates taking additional undergraduate courses, but not for a UGA undergraduate degree. Contact the admissions office for post–baccalaureate admission requirements.) Common majors for atmospheric sciences students include, but are not limited to, agricultural engineering, biological engineering, computer science, crop science, environmental health, environmental soil science, forest environmental resources, geography, marine sciences, mathematics, physics, physics and astronomy, statistics, and telecommunications.

The certificate requires 30 semester hours of upper–level atmospheric sciences or related courses.

The operational meteorology track meets the educational requirements for employment as a meteorologist by the National Weather Service, other civil service agencies, and many companies. The operational meteorology track also meets the recommended curriculum standards set by the American Meteorological Society and is the recommended track for students interested in operational meteorology or related fields.

The Certificate Program in Atmospheric Sciences 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.

Career Opportunities
Graduates of UGA's Atmospheric Sciences Program are more broadly educated than many graduates of traditional atmospheric sciences programs, thus providing greater career choices. Students selecting either track will find many carrier opportunities. Many companies are hiring atmospheric scientists with diverse backgrounds to assist in their operations. A few examples include the aviation industry, commodity groups, commodity traders, electric and natural gas utilities, engineering firms, food processing companies, and transportation companies. Other areas of employment growth are meteorological, environmental, and agricultural consulting companies.

Program Requirements
The undergraduate Certificate in Atmospheric Sciences requires 30 semester hours of upper level (3000/4000) courses in atmospheric or related sciences. A student must earn a grade of "C" or better in all certificate courses. A minimum certificate grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 is required in order to earn the certificate. The certificate is awarded only in conjunction with the completion of baccalaureate requirements at UGA. This stipulation is waived for post–baccalaureate students.

a. All students are required to complete 21 hours of core requirements
ATSC(GEOG) 3120–3120L: Weather Analysis and Forecasting
ENGR(ATSC) 4111/6111–4111L/6111L : Atmospheric Thermodynamics
ATSC(GEOG)(ENGR) 4112/6112 : Atmospheric Dynamics
ATSC(ENGR)(PHYS) 4131/6131–4131L/6131L : Introductory Atmospheric Physics

Select one 3000/4000 level course (3 hours) in climatology from the following:
ENGR(ATSC)(GEOG) 4161/6161–4161L/6161L: Environmental Microclimatology
ATSC(GEOG) 3110: Climatology
GEOG 4150/6150: Physical Climatology
GEOG 4160/6160: Applied Climatology in the Urban Environment

Select one 4000–level course (3 hours) in advanced atmospheric dynamics from the following:
ATSC 4114/6114: Atmospheric Dynamics II

Select one atmospheric science research or internship course (2–4 hours) from the following:
ENGR 4920: Engineering Design Project (topic must be approval by the director) (4 hours)
ENVE 4911: Environmental Engineering Design IV (topic must be approved by the director) (2 hours)
GEOG 3990: Internship in Geography (or related internship class in another discipline with approval of the director) (3 hours)
GEOG 4911/6911: Collaborative Research in Atmospheric Sciences (3 hours)

b. All students must complete 9 hours from one of the following four tracks

i. Operational Meteorology Track
ATSC(GEOG) 4120/6120: Synoptic Meteorology/Climatology
ATSC(GEOG) 4140/6140: Satellite Meteorology/Climatology
ATSC(GEOG) 4170/6170–4170L/6170L: Mesoscale and Radar Meteorology/Climatology

ii. Climatology
ENGR(ATSC)(GEOG) 4161/6161–4161L/6161L: Environmental Microclimatology
ATSC(GEOG) 4150/6150: Physical Climatology
ATSC(GEOG) 3110: Climatology
GEOG 4160/6160: Applied Climatology

iii. Natural Resources Hydrology (Select 9 hours)
GEOL 4220/6220: Hydrogeology
WASR(FORS) 4110/6110–4110L/6110L: Forest Hydrology
WASR 4500/6500: Quantitative Methods in Hydrology

iv. Engineering Hydrology (Select 9 hours)
ENGR 3160: Fluid Mechanics
ENVE 4435/6435: Introduction to Natural Resource Engineering
ENVE 4460/6460: Groundwater Hydrology for Engineers

A number of prerequisites courses must be completed prior to or coincident with enrollment in several of the required certificate courses, particularly ENGR(ATSC) 4111/6111–4111L/6111L, ENGR(PHYS) 4131/6131–4131L/6131L, ATSC(GEOG)(ENGR) 4112/6112, and ATSC 4114/6114. Students will be provided an advising sheet listing the course prerequisites.