Curriculum
Requirements for the degree in Atmospheric Science at the University of Louisville are shown below. Our program meets the GS-1340 standard required by the National Weather Service. Our coursework will give you the best understanding of atmospheric science and meteorology possible, while utilizing the University's resources to generate a well-rounded education for all individuals. Below is a sample program of study.
Note: UofL also has several minors available for atmospheric-science majors to consider, including but not limited to Communications, Environmental Analysis, and Physics.
PROGRAM IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE - CURRICULUM
| Semester Hours | TOTAL | |
| General Education* | 34 | |
| Arts & Science Requirements | 13-15 | |
| GEN-101 | 1 | |
| Foreign Language | 6-8 | |
| Electives in Humanities or Social Sciences 300+ Level | 6 | |
| See also: Writing Requirement (WR) Department of Physics & Astronomy, Physics Core |
13 |
|
| PHYS 295,296 | 2 | |
| PHYS 298,299,300 | 11 | |
| Department Of Physics & Astronomy, Atmospheric Science Core | 27 | |
| PHYS-220 (Contemporary Issues in Meteorology) | 3 | |
| PHYS-360 (Introduction to Weather Analysis) | 3 | |
| PHYS-361 (Atmospheric Thermodynamics) | 3 | |
| PHYS-362 (Physical Meteorology) | 3 | |
| GEOG-355 (Remote Sensing) | 3 | |
| PHYS-365 (Severe Weather) | 3 | |
| PHYS-465 (Dynamic Meteorology I) | 3 | |
| PHYS-466 (Dynamic Meteorology II) | 3 | |
| PHYS-469 (Synoptic Meteorology) <Culminating Undergraduate Experience> | 3 | |
| Supporting Courses | 16 | |
| MATH-205 (Calculus I) | 4 | |
| MATH-206 (Calculus II) | 4 | |
| MATH-301 (Calculus III) | 4 | |
| PHYS-350 (Differential Equations for the Physical Sciences) | 4 | |
| Related Electives (9 Hours Minimum) | 9 | |
| CEE-470 (Surface Water Hydrology) | 3 | |
| CHEM-341 (Organic Chemistry I) | 3 | |
| CHEM-441 (Elements of Phys Chem) | 3 | |
| GEOS-363 (Climatology) | 3 | |
| GEOS-564 (Hydrology) | 3 | |
| MATH-560 (Statistical Data Analysis) | 3 | |
| PHYS-355/356 (Optics & Lab) | 3/2 | |
| PHYS-390 (Intro to Computational Physics) | 3 | |
| PHYS-541 (Electromagnetic Fields) | 3 | |
| PHYS-545/546 (Advanced Optics & Lab) | 3/1 | |
| Minimum Other Electives | 7-9 | |
| Minimum Total Credits** | 121 | |
|
*The University General Education requirement for natural sciences is 7 hours, including at least 1 lecture course with accompanying lab. This requirement is met with the core courses in the program, reducing the effective General Education requirement to 27 hours outside the core program elements. **The Minimum Total number of credit hours is established by the College: Individual requirements of the program do not total to 120 credit hours. The student may use elective courses inside or outside the major to constitute the 120 hours, under the constraints that at least 50 hours must be at the 300 level or above, and that no more than 60 hours in PHYS courses may count toward the degree. |
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Sample Plan of Study
| Year |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
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| 1 | MATH-205 PHYS-220 GEN-ED GEN-101 TOTAL |
4 3 6 1 14 |
MATH-206 PHYS-298 PHYS-295 GEN-ED TOTAL |
4 4 1 6 15 |
PHYS-299 PHYS-296 TOTAL |
4 1 5 |
| 2 | MATH-301 PHYS-360 Language GEN-ED TOTAL |
4 3 3 6 16 |
PHYS-350 PHYS-361 RELATED ELECTIVE Language GEN-ED TOTAL |
4 3 3 3 3 16 |
Internship or Research | |
| 3 | PHYS-362 PHYS 465 RELATED ELECTIVE GEN-ED Hum Elective TOTAL |
3 3 3 3 3 15 |
PHYS-365 PHYS-466 Elective GEN-ED TOTAL |
3 3 3 6 15 |
Internship or Research | |
| 4 | GEOG-355 RELATED ELECTIVE Social Science Elective Electives Total |
3 3 3 6 15 |
PHYS-300 PHYS-469 Electives Total |
3 3 6 12 |
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