Admission Requirements and Application Process

Admission as a graduate student in the School of Meteorology is competitive. Prospective students must apply for admission to the Graduate College through the Office of Admissions and Records.  All materials are submitted electronically through that site (including three letters of reference-preferably from faculty, official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, and a personal statement).

Statement of Purpose Guide.

We would like applicants to craft a Statement of Purpose (aka: Personal Statement) that clearly demonstrates familiarity with the OU Meteorology Graduate Program, their potential for success in this program, and how they align with our core values. In your Statement, we are seeking evidence that 1) you are passionate about this field, 2) you have the potential to excel, and 3) that a research-based graduate degree is vital to achieving your career goals. Your Statement should address the following prompts (in any order)

  • Clearly state why you are seeking a graduate degree in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.
  • Clearly state what knowledge and skills you hope to achieve from this graduate program that will help you reach your career goals.
  • Given the challenges that come with a research-based graduate degree, describe an example of how you have persevered to overcome challenges in pursuit of your academic or personal goals, and how you have grown because of that experience.
  • A core value of our graduate program is creativity, including in our science, to transform our imagination into positive outcomes. Please describe a time in which you exhibited these qualities through your work.
  • Include any relevant research and work experience. Examples: coding skills; instrumentation skills; conference participation; preparation of proposals, manuscripts, and/or publications; teaching experience; management experience.
  • You are welcome to include anything else you feel is important in support of your application that is not already addressed by these prompts.

 

Recommended Statement of Purpose format:

  • Maximum of 2 pages
  • 12 pt font
  • 1 inch margins

Minimum Requirements for Admission to Graduate Program

  • The Graduate College requires a minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 (B average) for admission. However, students who are accepted typically have a higher GPA.
  • Full calculus sequence (typically 12 credit hours) and a course in differential equations
  • A year of calculus-based physics courses, including mechanics and electricity and magnetism
  • The School recommends that interested students obtain an undergraduate degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, chemistry, meteorology, atmospheric science, or another one of the physical sciences. We offer an undergraduate degree program for those who are interested – requirements can be found here.
  • We prefer that applicants have a working knowledge of partial differential equations, although some graduate students pursue this after arriving at OU.
  • As of August 2020, the School of Meteorology faculty voted to remove the GRE as a requirement for application to our graduate program. GRE scores included in future applications will be redacted prior to review. This is the first step in our review of the recruitment and admissions processes to increase equity.

Deadlines and Review Process

1 December (updated):
The School will accept applications past this deadline; however, students who apply later risk losing the majority of funded GRA/GTA opportunities within the School and the National Weather Center.

15 April:
If you receive a GRA/GTA offer, you must accept or decline the offer by this date. However, students are encouraged to notify the School of their decision to accept or decline a GRA/GTA offer as early as possible. This allows the School to extend offers to other applicants.

1 September:
The final deadline for Spring application for international students currently residing outside the United States is 1 September. For the most up-to-date information regarding international-student admissions, see here.

1 November:
The application deadline for Spring admission is 1 November, but there are rarely more than 1 or 2 funded positions available. Occasionally, funding for a GRA/GTA position becomes available after the beginning of the Fall semester. For a student beginning in the Spring semester, courses will be somewhat out of sequence. However, it is generally easy to coordinate any differences.

Direct-Track Ph.D. Program 

Although OU has a policy that allows for direct admission into a Ph.D. program, the School of Meteorology strongly advises you to first enroll as an MS degree student. After you have begun the MS degree program, it is possible to switch to the Ph.D. program with permission from the School of Meteorology, if such a track is deemed to be optimal for you. For more information, please check the graduate student handbook.

Questions, Comments, or Concerns?

More information about the OU School of Meteorology’s graduate program can be found in the Prospective Graduate Students portion of our website. If you need additional information or have questions, please contact our Coordinator of Graduate Programs, Danika Hines-Barnett, at danika [at] ou.edu or 405.325.6561.