Curriculum
Entry-Level Requirement: Students declaring a major in atmospheric science are required to meet or exceed one of the following: 24 on ACT Math or 550 on SAT Math or C in Calculus II (MATH 206).
Coursework for the degree in Atmospheric Science at the University of Louisville is shown below. Our program meets the GS-1340 standard required by the National Weather Service, which will give you a rigorous foundation in atmospheric science. A sample 4-year flight plan is shown.
Internships are strongly encouraged. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Louisville and the TV-station meteorology groups often have volunteer openings, and UPS has a shadow program. To get credit for an internship, the College of Arts & Sciences requires a minimum overall GPA of 2.5, and either 9 credit hours in the major with 45 total, or 6 in the major with 60 total. (Transfer students need to complete 12 hours of credit first.) Please contact the director of the atmospheric science program for the application of enrollment in PHYS 499: METEOROLOGY INTERNSHIP.
Chief Meteorologist Kevin Harned of WAVE3 hosts a joint gathering of the AMS (Amer. Meteorol. Soc.) student chapters from UofL and WKU at the station (March 9, 2017).
Atmospheric-science majors are also strongly encouraged to earn a minor in a related field, including but not limited to Communications, Environmental Analysis or Physics.
We offer a 2-credit-hour Field Observations of Severe Storms course, GEOS 391, which focuses on prediction, analysis, and observations of deep convective storms in the Great Plains, and includes a "storm chasing" 7-9 day trip in the second half of May, preceded by a week of lectures and a NWS storm-spotter training session. In addition to the cost of tuition (2 credit hours), there is a travel fee for the course (the Dept. of Geography & Geosciences is currently covering some of these expenses, so the fee is less than the full $1500 cost). For more information, contact Prof. Jason Naylor (jason.naylor@louisville.edu, (502) 852-5190).
PROGRAM IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE - CURRICULUM
| Semester Hours | TOTAL | |
| General Education* | 31 | |
| 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 (Mesoscale Meteorology) | 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 | |
| CHEM 341 (Organic Chemistry I) | 3 | |
| CHEM 441 (Elements of Phys Chem) | 3 | |
| GEOS 363 (Climate Science) | 3 | |
| GEOS 564 (Hydrology) | 3 | |
| MATH 560 (Statistical Data Analysis) | 3 | |
| PHYS 355/356 (Optics & Lab) | 3/2 | |
| PHYS 541 (Electromagnetic Fields) | 3 | |
| PHYS 545/546 (Advanced Optics & Lab) | 3/1 | |
| Minimum Other Electives | 10-12 | |
| 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 24 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 121 credit hours. The student may use elective courses inside or outside the major to constitute the 121 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. | ||
Year |
Fall |
Spring |
||
| 1 | GEN 101 GEN-ED (ENGL 101) MATH 205 Foreign Language PHYS/GEOS 220 Total |
1 3 4 3-4 3 14-15 |
GEN-ED (ENGL 102) MATH 206 PHYS 298 Foreign Language PHYS 295 Total |
3 4 4 3-4 1 15-16 |
| 2 | MATH 301 PHYS 296 PHYS 299 GEN-ED (Oral Comm) PHYS 360 Total |
4 4 1 3 3 15 |
PHYS 361 GEN-ED (HUM) Related Elective GEN-ED (HIST) GEN-ED (Social/Behav) Total |
3 3 3 3 3 15 |
| 3 | PHYS 362 GEN-ED(Arts) PHYS 350 Related Elective PHYS 465 Total |
3 3 4 3 3 16 |
PHYS 365 PHYS 466 Related Elective Elective GEN-ED (CD1) Total |
3 3 3 3 3 15 |
| 4 | GEOG 355 PHYS 300 HUM or Social S. (300+) Elective* GEN-ED (CD1 or CD2) WR Elective (300+) Total |
3 3 3 1 3 3 16 |
PHYS 469 GEOG 558 or HUM or Social S. (300+) WR Elective (300+) Elective Elective Total |
3 3 3 3 3 15 |
*This one-hour elective (e.g. Health/Sports S. or PHYS 430) is not needed if, for example, a 4-hour foreign-language course is taken.