These are exciting times in the field of Atmospheric Science. It is a time of rapid growth, increased public awareness, and social relevance for our field. Atmospheric Science is a broad discipline that applies mathematics and the basic sciences to understand a very complex natural system. The scope of the field ranges from the small space and time scales of turbulent phenomena, through the diagnosis and prediction of weather events in meteorology, to continental and global scale climate change processes.

We welcome applications for graduate study from students with various backgrounds, such as physics, chemistry, engineering, geological sciences, and mathematics, in addition to the atmospheric sciences. Each of these backgrounds can be appropriate for an advanced degree in Atmospheric Science. But all applicants should have a solid undergraduate-level background in physics and mathematics. General admission requirements, for example, minimum scores on the TOEFL exam, can be found at the Cornell Graduate School web site.

The Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell is a relatively small, high quality program. Faculty members do not have large numbers of graduate students, and this provides students with the opportunity to work closely with their advisor. This individual attention is combined with the advantages of a large and diverse research university, and the beautiful, livable environment of Ithaca.

The Graduate Field of Atmospheric Sciences offers full financial support, including tuition, stipend, and health insurance, to all students accepted into our program. This means that we sometimes must decline applications from students who are very well qualified, but for whom we cannot identify support because the students interests are not a good match for our research programs. We offer Research Assistantships through either the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences  or through an individual faculty members grant, and Teaching Assistantships through the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. In addition, we award a Cornell University Graduate School fellowship each year to an incoming Ph.D. or M.S./Ph.D student. Prospective and continuing graduate students are encouraged to apply for full or partial funding from NSF, NASA, AMS, NOAA, and other agencies that offer fellowships and scholarships in Atmospheric Science.

You are invited to look further into our Graduate Program and, especially, to study the research interests of the faculty to identify members of our graduate field whose interests match your own. Please feel free to contact any faculty member for more information about her or his research program. And please contact me with any more general questions you may have about the Atmospheric Sciences program, or the Cornell Grad School with more general questions or concerns.

       Daniel S. Wilks
       Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
       Director of Graduate Studies, Atmospheric Sciences

Since the Graduate School is administratively separate from the seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell, faculty members from any department are eligible for Atmospheric Sciences Graduate Field membership. As a result, the graduate field of Atmospheric Sciences includes faculty from the Departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Astronomy, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Electrical and Computing Engineering, and Biological and Environmental Engineering.

Faculty members in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences list their primary affiliation with the Graduate Field of Atmospheric Science. These faculty members and their research focus are:

Stephen J. Colucci

• Dynamics and inter-annual variability of mid-latitude cyclones and anticyclones, including blocking mid-tropospheric anticyclones, with particular attention to the stratospheric influence on these systems.

Arthur T. DeGaetano

• Applications of climate data for decision making, including data quality, detection of non-climate shifts in observations, and climate impact analysis. Special focus on the occurrence rates and impacts of extreme events, such as Nor'easters.

Natalie Mahowald

• Interactions between aerosols, climate and biogeochemistry, and how humans may be changing these interactions.

Daniel S. Wilks

• Applied statistics in relation to meteorological and climatological problems, including ensemble forecasting, seasonal forecasting, quantitative forecast evaluation, and stochastic simulation.

Other faculty also may advise students in Atmospheric Science, but they list their primary affiliation in other graduate fields. These affiliated faculty and their research focus are listed below.

All graduate degree programs in the Graduate Field of Atmospheric Sciences are individualized to suit students' interests, backgrounds, and goals. Students must, however, satisfy certain university and Field requirements, either through prior work at another institution or through work at Cornell. Each student works closely with a Major Professor and a graduate Special Committee. This group of faculty members determines the degree requirements consistent with each student's training and academic goals.

M.S. degree

In applying, indicate your intent to stop graduate studies after the M.S. degree by choosing the "M.S." option on the Cornell Graduate School application, or your intent to continue on to the Ph.D. after the M.S. by choosing the "M.S./Ph.D." option. Students must earn two units of residence credit, and complete one minor. One residency unit is granted for each satisfactory semester of full-time study. Students must pass the M.S. defense exam, and submit a thesis acceptable to the student's Special Committee and to the Graduate School. (Please see the Cornell Graduate School web site for more detailed information, including time limits imposed on forming committees, taking exams, and completing the degree.)

Ph.D. degree

Other than in exceptional cases, an M.S. degree in atmospheric science, meteorology, or another science or engineering field is prerequisite for the Ph.D. degree. A student intending to earn both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees should apply under the category "MS/PhD" on the Cornell Graduate School application. Students must earn six units of residence credit, and complete two minors, for the Ph.D. One residency unit is granted for each satisfactory semester of full-time study. Students must pass an "A exam" to attain Ph.D. candidacy, and a "B exam" to defend their Ph.D. thesis. Some faculty members in the Field also require that students pass an oral "Q exam" that tests their basic knowledge of Atmospheric Science. Students must also submit a thesis acceptable to the student's Special Committee and to the Graduate School. Often, but not always, Ph.D. theses in our Field take advantage of the "three paper option" for the thesis. (Please see the Cornell Graduate School web site for more detailed information.)

Graduate students in the Field of Atmospheric Science take courses in many departments across the university. Course selection is made in consultation with the major advisor, considering the interests and thesis topic of the student. Coursework may also be required to satisfy the minor requirements.

A list of graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is available here. It is not a typical for graduate students to take a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses in various departments, especially in the first two semesters of study at Cornell.

Applicants for admission to the Graduate School should hold a baccalaureate degree granted by a faculty or university of recognized standing or have completed a degree or diploma program equivalent to the baccalaureate degree program at Cornell, have adequate preparation for graduate study in the chosen Field, present evidence of promise in advanced study and research; and have a minimum combined score of 1,200 in the verbal and quantitative aptitude tests of the Graduate Record Examinations (G.R.E.).

The Field of Atmospheric Science offers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Students may apply for admission to the M.S., M.S./Ph.D., or Ph.D. programs. Students at the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) level may apply for direct admission to the Ph.D. program only if they have had exceptional preparation or professional experience in their areas of interest.

Click here for Graduate School application information.