Course descriptionOur student body now consists of about 15 students pursuing the M.S. degree and 20 in our Ph.D. program. Our students come from Hawai‘i, from the US mainland and from other countries. The main qualification to join our program is good performance in an undergraduate program that includes basic training in mathematics (at least through differential equations) and physics. Some of our graduate students have come to us with undergraduate degrees in atmospheric science, but many others have come with undergraduate degrees in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering or related subjects, and without any prior courses in meteorology.
REQUIREMENTS FOR OUR GRADUATE DEGREES Master’s Degree
Graduation with a master’s degree requires completion of an acceptable thesis and a successful defense of the thesis in an oral examination. A total of 30 official course credit hours must also be earned. This will be made up of:
1. At least 18 credits of regular course work (i.e. excluding MET 699, MET 700 and MET 765), with a minimum of 12 credits in courses numbered 600 and above.
2. 1 credit of MET 765
3. 6 credits of MET 700 Thesis Research and
4. 5 more credits either from regular courses or MET 699 Directed Research
Our core requirements include MET 600, 610, and 620, and one term of synoptic
meteorology. Unless a student has completed an equivalent course elsewhere, the synoptic requirement is met with either MET 412 or MET 416. These core requirements are met by passing with a grade of B- or higher. Students must obtain a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the courses counted as our core. As well, students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 for the courses they take in the MS program.