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Degree Requirements
Professional Meteorology printable degree check sheet
Link to catalog: Link to Catalog
General Studies Requirements – 33 credits, but 9 of these credits can double dip with required major courses
____ Written Communication (6)
____ Quantitative Literacy (satisfied by Math requirement below or MTH 1109 or MTH 1110 or MTH 1111 or MTH 1120 or MTH 1400) (3)
____ Oral Communication (3)
____ Arts and Humanities (6)
____ Historical (3)
____ Natural and Physical Sciences (satisfied by major courses such as MTR 1400 and physics) (6)
____ Social and Behavioral Sciences (6)
____ Global Diversity Course (This will double dip with another general studies category) (0-3)
Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement – 0-3 credits
____ Ethnic Studies & Social Justice course (this can double dip with a General Studies category) (0-3) (Formerly named Multicultural)
Meteorology Core for all students – 26 credits
____ MTR 1400 Weather and Climate (3)
____ MTR 2020 Weather and Climate Lab (1 (lab))
____ MTR 2040 Computer Applications for Meteorology (1 (lab))
____ MTR 2410 Weather Observing Systems (3)
____ MTR 3330 Climatology (3(w/ lab))
____ MTR 3400 Synoptic Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 3410 Weather Analysis Techniques (3 (lab))
____ MTR 3420 Radar and Satellite Meteorology (3(w/ lab))
____ MTR 3430 Atmospheric Thermodynamics (3)
____ MTR 4600 Meteorology Research Seminar (3)
Professional Concentration Additional Courses: 23 credits
____ MTR 3440 Physical Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 3450 Dynamic Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 4400 Advanced Synoptic Meteorology (4 (lab))
____ MTR 4500 Mesometeorology (3)
____ PHY 2311 General Physics I (4) or PHY 2308 + PHY 2309 Stretch General Physics I A+B (6)
____ PHY 2321 General Physics I Lab (1)
____ PHY 2341 General Physics II Lab (1)
____ CHE 1800 General Chemistry I (4)
Professional Concentration Required Mathematics Minor – 24 credits
____ MTH 1410 Calculus I (4)
____ CS 1050 Computer Science I (4)
or MTH 2520 R Programming (4)
or MTH 2540 Scientific Computing with Python (4)
____ MTH 2410 Calculus II (4)
____ MTH 2420 Calculus III (4)
____ MTH 3210 Probability and Statistics (4)
____ MTH 3420 Differential Equations (4)
Professional Concentration Approved Meteorology Electives – Select at least 5 credits*
____ GIS 2250 Geographic Information Systems (4)
____ MTR 2050 Community Climate Initiatives (2)
____ MTR 3100 Air Pollution (3)
____ MTR 3340 Climate Change Science (3)
____ MTR 3500 Hazardous Weather (3)
____ MTR 3710 Meteorology Internship (2 – 6)
____ MTR 3777 Field Observations of Severe Weather (3 (field))
_____ MTR 3920 Directed Study in Meteorology (2 – 6)
____ MTR 4210 Forecasting Laboratory (repeatable) (1(lab))
Unrestricted Electives – All students need 120 total credits to graduate. The number of General Elective credits you will need depend on how many credits you have. Many students take MTH 1110 College Algebra and MTH 1120 College Trigonometry, which will count towards 7 of your General Elective credits.)
Total credits for Meteorology Major = 120
Applied Meteorology printable degree check sheet
Link to catalog: Link to Catalog
General Studies Requirements – 33 credits, but 9 of these credits can double dip with required major courses
____ Written Communication (6)
____ Quantitative Literacy (satisfied by Math requirement below or MTH 1109 or MTH 1110 or MTH 1111 or MTH 1120 or MTH 1410) (3)
____ Oral Communication (3)
____ Arts and Humanities (6)
____ Historical (3)
____ Natural and Physical Sciences (satisfied by major courses such as MTR 1400 and physics) (6)
____ Social and Behavioral Sciences (6)
____ Global Diversity Course (This will double dip with another general studies category) (0-3)
Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Requirement – 0-3 credits
____ Ethnic Studies & Social Justice Course (this can double dip with a General Studies category) (0-3) (Formerly named Multicultural)
Meteorology Core for all students – 26 credits
____ MTR 1400 Weather and Climate (3)
____ MTR 2020 Weather and Climate Lab (1 (lab))
____ MTR 2040 Computer Applications for Meteorology (1 (lab))
____ MTR 2410 Weather Observing Systems (3)
____ MTR 3330 Climatology (3(w/ lab))
____ MTR 3400 Synoptic Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 3410 Weather Analysis Techniques (3 (lab))
____ MTR 3420 Radar and Satellite Meteorology (3(w/ lab))
____ MTR 3430 Atmospheric Thermodynamics (3)
____ MTR 4600 Meteorology Research Seminar (3)
Applied Meteorology Concentration Additional Courses – 20 credits
____ MTR 3500 Hazardous Weather (3)
____ MTH 1410 Calculus I (4)
____ MTH 1210 Introduction to Statistics (4)
or MTH 3210 Probability and Statistics (4)
____ CS 1050 Computer Science I (4)
or MTH 2520 R Programming (4)
or MTH 2540 Scientific Computing with Python (4)
or GIS 2250 Geographic Information Systems (4)
____ PHY 2311 General Physics I (4)
or PHY 2010 College Physics I (1)
____ PHY 2321 General Physics I Lab (1)
or PHY 2040 College Physics I Lab (1)
Applied Concentration Approved Meteorology Electives – Select at least 12 credits*
____ GIS 2250 Geographic Information Systems* (4)
____ MTR 2050 Community Climate Initiatives (2)
____ MTR 3100 Air Pollution (3)
____ MTR 3340 Climate Change Science (3)
____ MTR 3710 Meteorology Internship (2 – 6)
____ MTR 3777 Field Observations of Severe Weather (3 (field))
_____ MTR 3920 Directed Study in Meteorology (2 – 6)
____ MTR 4210 Forecasting Laboratory (repeatable) (1 (lab))
____ MTR 3440 Physical Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 3450 Dynamic Meteorology (3)
____ MTR 4400 Advanced Synoptic Meteorology (4 (lab))
____ MTR 4500 Mesometeorology (3)
____ MTR 2000-4999 Any non-1000-level meteorology course
____ ENV 3700 Mountain Environments (3)
____ ENV 4470 Snow Hydrology (3)
____ GEG 3410 Biogeography (3)
____ GEL 4150 Hydrology (Surface Water) (3)
*GIS 2250 can only count once in the major, either as an elective or as a computer course in additional courses
____ Applied Concentration Required Minor – Minimum 18 credits
Choose from any minor on campus. Students might enjoy one of the several minors offered in the Earth and Atmospheric Science department such as Climate Change, Geography, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Geology, Environmental Science, Sustainability Studies. Students might also enjoy minors in Math, Physics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Aviation Technology, Communication Studies, Journalism and Media Production, Sociology, or Water Studies.
Unrestricted Electives – All students need 120 total credits to graduate. The number of General Elective credits you will need depend on how many credits you have. Many students take MTH 1110 College Algebra and MTH 1120 College Trigonometry, which will count towards 7 of your General Elective credits.)
Total credits for Meteorology Major = 120
The Professional and Applied Meteorology concentrations began in catalog year 2022-2023. Please visit the Previous Catalog Years page for degree check sheets before 2022-2023 when we did not have concentrations.
The Professional Meteorology degree is nearly identical to the degree we have always offered at MSU Denver and it conforms to the requirements for students to qualify to work for the National Weather Service (NWS) It also fulfills the American Meteorological Society’s recommendations for a Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology. Similarly, students wanting to eventually get the AMS Broadcast Certification will want the professional concentration.
The Applied Meteorology concentration is rather different in that it does not require the level of math demanded by the NWS. Although we proudly tote several alumni who work at the National Weather Service throughout the country, we found that the majority of our alumni have found employment as successful broadcast (TV) meteorologists or as meteorologists in the private sector or even as science educators. The Applied Meteorology degree is for students looking to personalize their degree a bit more than the very prescribed requirements of the Professional Meteorology degree. For example, a student looking to produce or broadcast meteorology might choose to Major in Applied Meteorology and minor in Journalism and Media Production and focus their meteorology electives on severe weather. (However, students wanting to eventually get the AMS Broadcast Certification will want the professional concentration.) A student looking to work in the private sector on forecasting or instrumentation might major in Applied Meteorology and minor in Computer Science or GIS. A student interested in climate change might major in Applied Meteorology and minor i Geography, Environmental Science, or even Sociology.
Students hoping to continue their studies in graduate school in Atmospheric Science (Meteorology) should choose the Professional Meteorology degree, but students open to going to graduate school for something different like Geography, Environmental Science, GIS, or a professional master’s might be okay to choose the Applied Meteorology degree.
All students are encouraged to develop their programming and mapping skills by taking courses in computer science, python, R, and GIS. These skills are essential to marketability and we encourage you to take them early in your degree so the skills can be practiced in your Meteorology Research Seminar course.
Both concentrations share a Meteorology core, then have their own required courses, then have their own list of meteorology electives. The Professional concentration requires a math minor while the Applied concentration requires you to declare any minor on campus. Use the accordions above by hitting the plus sign to see the requirements for each concentration.
Students on older catalogs may declare the Applied Concentration by moving up their catalog to 2022-2023. Students on older catalogs wanting the Professional concentration shouldn’t bother, the old degree is essentially the same. Please visit the Previous Catalog Years page for degree check sheets before 2022-2023.
All current students can see their current catalog and requirements by visiting their Degree Progress Report and may also choose to try a “What If” report to see how their coursework might fit into a different catalog. Please see an advisor to chat!
Course Flow Chart
Get a visual on the flow of courses for both concentrations as well as a 5-year course rotation.