School of Meteorology Rolls Out New Curriculum

We’re excited to announce that starting this fall, the School of Meteorology is introducing a new undergraduate curriculum! This will mostly impact the classes of 2023 and beyond and will be phased in over the next 4 years. All students in the School will adhere to the degree requirements under which they were admitted.

The new curriculum has been designed in consultation with faculty, staff, former and current students, and employers of meteorology graduates. Faculty and staff visited with employers and many expressed maintaining the scientific rigor of our curriculum while providing more opportunities to develop communication and analytic skills. The new curriculum is designed to improve these skills by providing more opportunities for data analysis & coding, writing, and problem-solving throughout the 4-year program.

The new courseload will maintain rigor in atmospheric dynamics and physical meteorology, but it will more effectively balance the sophomore and junior coursework and provide a broader view of the field of meteorology. New classes will come in to replace or enhance other classes including “Principles of Research & Communication in Meteorology,” and “Atmospheric Chemistry in Weather and Climate”. The previous 1-credit hour first-year class “Orientation to Professional Meteorology” will be updated by a new, 3-credit hour first-semester course “Introduction to Atmospheric Science,” which provides a foundation in meteorological concepts, while developing skills in problem-solving and critical thinking.

The new curriculum continues to align with the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Service Guidelines and the OU and Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences College graduation requirements.

Our new curriculum will also allow us to adopt two new 4+1 programs, in which students can complete a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree (an MBA or an MS in Data Science and Analytics) in just five years. Stay tuned for an announcement in coming days!