Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science

Program Overview

The University of Kansas' Ph.D. program in Atmospheric Science equips students with advanced training in atmospheric physics and applied mathematics to conduct independent research in meteorology and climate-related fields. Specializations include atmospheric dynamics, cloud microphysics, climate variability, and remote sensing. Students must pass a comprehensive examination, defend a dissertation, and participate in the Responsible Scholarship Seminar.

Program Outline

Here is a detailed extraction of the requested sections:

Degree Overview:

Atmospheric Science is the study of weather and climate. The atmosphere is a key component of the environment and affects many human activities ranging from daily weather prediction to the understanding of climate and human health. Our program provides graduate students with the advanced training to address a host of meteorological and climate-related issues facing humans today. By the end of the program, Ph.D. students will be able to perform independent, creative research within their chosen sub-discipline. In addition to becoming an expert in their sub-discipline, students will obtain a solid background in the fundamentals of atmospheric physics and applied mathematics. The student's research will often require knowledge of subject fields outside of atmospheric science that is related to their dissertation, which could include oceanography, physics, geophysics, mathematics, statistics, engineering, or similar fields.

Outline:

Early in their program, students will take fundamental courses in atmospheric science including atmospheric dynamics, numerical modeling, and advanced statistics. A majority of the student's time will be devoted to their research project. KU offers a variety of specializations including:

• Atmospheric dynamics
• Cloud microphysics
• Mesoscale organization of cloud systems
• Tropical meteorology
• Synoptic meteorology
• Mesoscale meteorology
• Coastal meteorology
• Climate variability and change
• Regional climatology
• Climate models
• Aerosol and dust emission
• Biometeorology
• Microclimatology
• Land-atmosphere interactions
• Remote sensing of the surface and atmosphere
• Polar ice caps

Assessment:

• Comprehensive Examination: All candidates must pass a comprehensive written examination.
The examination is scheduled when the student and the faculty advisor believe that competence in the specialty or specialties has been achieved. It consists of two parts: written questions submitted by the committee members and then oral examination. The written questions may be open-book or closed at the discretion of the individual committee member submitting the questions, and the student normally will have up to 8 hours to complete each set of questions. In the oral section, students often are asked to elaborate and comment on their written answers. The focus is on the proposal, however, with probes into its scope, justification, and methodology being common. Two grades are possible for the overall examination: “satisfactory,” and “unsatisfactory.” In the unsatisfactory case, the student may be allowed to repeat the process upon recommendation of the committee one more time. Such repetition can be undertaken no sooner than 90 days after the last exam. Approval from the Office of Graduate Studies must be secured for the scheduling of this procedure and the request must be submitted two weeks prior to the proposed date for the examination.
• Dissertation: The student must submit a dissertation approved by his/her graduate committee.
All candidates must pass a final oral examination and must submit an approved dissertation to UMI. The dissertation will be defended in a public presentation.
• Final Defense: The student must complete an oral defense of their dissertation.
A majority of the committee members must approve the defense with an assessment of “satisfactory”, “unsatisfactory”, or “honors”. Students that fail the defense on their first attempt may repeat the defense at the recommendation of the degree program one more time. Such repetition can be undertaken no sooner than 90 days after the last defense.

Other:

• The program is housed within the Geography and Atmospheric Science Department at the University of Kansas.
• The department offers other graduate programs, including a Master of Science in Atmospheric Science.
• The program requires students to participate in the department's Responsible Scholarship Seminar.
• Students must meet the Research Skill and Responsible Scholarship (RSRS) requirement by taking 6 credits at the 500 level or above in mathematics and/or engineering.
Alternatively, 6 credits at the 500 level or above in a related discipline which are approved by the student's graduate committee may also be used for the RSS requirement. The courses for the RSRS requirement must be taken during the PhD program.