The UWM Atmospheric Science Program, housed within the Department of Mathematical Sciences, is a group of scholars who engage in a wide array of distinguished, societally-relevant research currently supported by over $3 million in external funding. Their specializations include climate variability, cloud physics and numerical modeling, atmospheric dynamics, mesoscale and synoptic meteorology, air pollution meteorology, and data analytics. The Atmospheric Science graduate programs are focused on student-led research under the direction of one or more faculty advisors.

Over its twenty-plus years of existence, the program has a history of innovation in both education and research, with the Innovative Weather program and first-of-its-kind “Air Pollution and Ancient Cultures” faculty-led study abroad course being two representative examples of innovative educational opportunities. Students graduating from the program have a long history of acquiring gainful employment with top-tier public and private sector institutions in Wisconsin and beyond.

The minimum degree requirement is 30 graduate credits, 12 of which must be in the Atm Sci 7xx sequence, 6 of which will be approved graduate elective credits, and 6 of which will be from either of the Atm Sci 500/950 or Math 601/602 sequences. Students must have a major professor to supervise the student’s studies and direct the student in completing thesis research. An acceptable thesis will represent an original contribution to knowledge in the atmospheric sciences. Students who choose the thesis option must enroll in Atm Sci 990 for the final 6 credits of the required 30 credit total. Successful oral defense of the thesis upon its completion is required for graduation.