Info for Undergraduate Students
ATOC Undergraduate Minor Program
The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) does not offer an undergraduate bachelor's degree program. However, the department does offer an undergraduate minor for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in another academic department. Students who successfully complete a major at CU Boulder in a quantitative field such as physics or chemistry, and a minor in ATOC, will be prepared for graduate work in atmospheric and oceanic science. The ATOC Minor is offered through the College of Arts and Sciences and is noted on the official CU transcript.
Although the ATOC Minor is primarily designed for students who are interested in developing a knowledge base in atmospheric science with an emphasis on the Earth's climate, there is considerable latitude within the program for students to design a course of study that is tailored to their individual interests.
Students who wish to declare the ATOC minor need to complete and sign a change of major/minor form; obtain the signature of the ATOC minor advisor; and submit these forms to the ATOC main office.
Upon completion of the ATOC Minor requirements, students must complete a Minor Completion form and submit it along with their graduation paperwork to their respective colleges and major advisors.
These forms may be obtained in the ATOC main office located in STAD Room 255, Gate 7 or by contacting the ATOC Undergraduate & Graduate Program Assistant at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (303) 492-6633.
If you have questions regarding coursework or need advising, please contact our ATOC Minor Advisor, Dr. Nicole Lovenduski ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).
Students interested in the ATOC minor might also be interested in the Baker Residential Academic Program (http://bakerrap.colorado.edu/).
Minor Requirements:
A total of 18 credit hours with at least 9 credit hours at the Advanced Coursework level. NOTE: Not all courses at the 3000 level and abover are considered at the Advanced Coursework level. Please see list below.
| Elementary Coursework | Advanced Coursework | |||
| ATOC 1050: Weather and the Atmosphere* | ATOC 3500/CHEM 3151: Air Chemistry and Pollution | |||
| ATOC 1060: Our Changing Environment* | ATOC 3600/GEOG 3601: Principles of Climate* |
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| ATOC/GEOL 3070: Intro to Oceanography* | ATOC/ASTR 3720: Planets and Their Atmospheres |
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| ATOC 3300: Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations* | ATOC/ASEN 4215: Descriptive Physical Oceanography |
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| ATOC 4500: Applied Biogeochemical Oceanogaphy |
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| ATOC 4500: Wind Energy Meteorology | ||||
| ATOC 4500: Mountain Meteorology | ||||
| ATOC 4700: Weather Analysis & Forecasting | ||||
| ATOC 4720: Intro to Atmospheric Dynamics | ||||
| ATOC 4750: Desert Meteorology* |
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| ATOC 4800: Policy Implications of Climate Controversies | ||||
| ATOC 4900: Independent Study | ||||
* Note: These classes fulfill Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum: Natural Science.
All coursework applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better (no pass/fail work may be applied). The grade point average for all minor degree work must be equal to 2.00 (C) or higher. Coursework applied toward a minor may also be applied toward general education (core curriculum or college list) and major requirements. Students are allowed to apply no more than 9 credit hours, including 6 advanced level credit hours, of transfer work to a minor.
Sample Tracks in ATOC Minor Program
The ATOC Minor is especially appropriate for Environmental Studies majors with a climate specialization, Physics (Plan 2) majors with a concentration in atmospheric physics, and environmental aerospace engineering majors, however students in other major programs are welcome to pursue the ATOC Minor provided they meet the course pre-requisites.
| Environmental Studies or Geography Majors: | Physics (Plan 2) or Engineering Majors: | |
| ATOC 1050: Weather and the Atmosphere | ATOC 3500: Air Chemistry and Pollution | |
| ATOC 1060: Our Changing Environment | ATOC 3600: Principles of Climate | |
| ATOC 3300: Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations | ATOC 3720: Planets and Their Atmospheres | |
| ATOC 3600: Principles of Climate | ATOC 4215: Descriptive Physical Oceanography | |
| ATOC 4800: Policy Implications of Climate Controversies | ATOC 4720: Intro to Atmospheric Dynamics** | |
| Additional advenced level course | ATOC 4750: Desert Meteorology | |
**Physics and engineering majors are encouraged to take ATOC 4720 in their junior year, and a graduate-level ATOC course such as ATOC 5400 (Introduction to Fluid Dynamics), ATOC 5060 (Dynamics of the Atmosphere), or ATOC 5235 (Intro to Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Remote Sensing) in their senior year.
| UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: |
| University of Colorado Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program http://www.colorado.edu/research/UROP/ |
| National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&org=NSF |
| American Meteorological Society Scholarships and Fellowships http://www.ametsoc.org/amsstudentinfo/scholfeldocs/index.html#5 |
| NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/Hollings_info.html |
| SMART Scholarship. Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation. http://www.asee.org/fellowships/smart/ |
| Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) http://nreip.asee.org/ |