Graduate Program Overview

Although CU’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) was founded only in 2005, we have jumped to Top-Ten rankings nationally in both atmospheric and oceanic sciences. We educate tomorrow’s workforce and leaders in climate science, renewable energy, and weather prediction.

ATOC’s 15 faculty member study Earth’s weather and climate from the ocean bottom up to space, from the tropics to the polar ice sheets, to understand and respond to climate change and improve climate change projections in atmosphere, cryosphere and oceans.

ATOC has been fortunate to attract arguably the most outstanding graduate students in the field. Our students receive a significant number of fellowships and nationally recognized awards each year. They provide excellent instruction to CU’s undergraduates as teaching assistants. They make scientific advances while conducting innovative research. Our graduate students go on to successful careers in academia, national research institutes, and private industry.

Graduate students, research staff, and faculty work together on a wide range of research topics: large-scale dynamics of the ocean and the atmosphere; air-sea interaction; radiative transfer and remote sensing of the ocean and the atmosphere; sea ice and its role in climate; cloud-climate interactions; atmospheric chemistry and aerosols; atmospheric technology; extended weather and climate prediction; hydrological processes; boundary layer measurement and modeling; and planetary atmospheres.

ATOC is coordinated with the Environmental Program at the University of Colorado. Interdisciplinary education and research opportunities exist with the Hydrology Program and the Environmental Policy Program. Interdisciplinary research opportunities also exist with the Cooperative Institute for Environmental Studies (CIRES), the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), the Center for Complexity, and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).

ATOC has extensive computer facilities and laboratories in remote sensing, chemistry, and hydrodynamics. The presence of leading laboratories in the environmental sciences in Boulder, including the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the NOAA Environmental Research Laboratories, provides additional opportunities for a rich educational experience. Opportunities also exist for involvement in field programs.

Areas of Study and Research

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) is an interdisciplinary program that provides an educational and research environment to examine the dynamical, physical, and chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere and the ocean. A major theme is the establishment of a physical basis for understanding, observing, and modeling climate and global change.

Graduate students admitted to ATOC will eligible to receive an advanced degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Graduate students outside of ATOC can pursue the Graduate Certificate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences while earning a graduate degree from another department at CU-Boulder, or while taking coursework as a non-degree seeking student through Continuing Education’s ACCESS Program provided they have already earned a bachelors degree and meet the course prerequisites.

Degrees Offered

Master's Degree (MS)
For both thesis and non-thesis options, a total of 30 credit hours is required with at least 15 credit hours of ATOC courses numbered 5000 and above. Other specific course requirements are in the ATOC Graduate Handbook. For the thesis option, the final examination consists of an oral exam on the thesis. The non-thesis option requires the successful completion of a written final examination based on ATOC regular coursework requirements.

Doctoral Degree (PhD)
A total of 36 credit hours of regular coursework is required, of which 30 hours must be numbered 5000 or above, with at least 18 credit hours of ATOC graduate lecture courses including core ATOC course requirements, and a graduate-level course in applied or computational mathematics. In addition, 30 credit hours of dissertation must be completed per Graduate School rules and requirements. Students must pass a two-part comprehensive examination before admission into candidacy. Part I of the comprehensive examination is a written exam based on core course material and is normally taken in the second year. Part II of the comprehensive examination is normally taken in the third year and is an oral examination based on an original research paper prepared by the student. After the PhD dissertation has been submitted, a final examination of the dissertation will be conducted.