Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, M.S.

Contact Information

Dr. William J. Capehart, Program Coordinator
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Program
Mineral Industries 213
(605) 394-1994
E-mail: William.Capehart@sdsmt.edu

Faculty

Professor Detwiler; Emeritus Professors Helsdon, Hjelmfelt and Smith; Associate Professors Capehart, Kliche and Sundareshwar; Assistant Professors French and Kunza; Instructor Clabo; Adjunct Professors Stamm, Johnson, and Monfredo; Adjunct Research Scientist Bunkers.

Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences

The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology offers advanced undergraduate and graduate courses leading to the master of science degree in atmospheric and environmental sciences with specializations in meteorology or earth systems science, and the doctor of philosophy degree in atmospheric and environmental sciences (AES). For more information on the AES program please use the following link:

Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences Ph.D.

Faculty of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences are also active research scientists that conduct research with sponsorship from the State of South Dakota and various federal agencies.

The primary objective of the atmospheric and environmental sciences graduate program is to give students a basic understanding of the factors influencing atmospheric phenomena, including solar and terrestrial radiation, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, microphysical and electrical processes in clouds, ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and biogeochemistry. Instruction is offered in the interpretation of conventional weather, satellite and radar data; observations collected by specially instrumented aircraft; and output from numerical models of atmospheric processes. The graduate student is expected to carry out original research in the atmospheric and environmental sciences using some of these tools and resources. In addition, the student must successfully complete the coursework and program requirements enumerated below.

A student applying for admission to the master’s degree program in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences should have a baccalaureate degree in meteorology or atmospheric sciences, one of the biological or physical sciences, earth system sciences, mathematics, or engineering. It is desirable for applicants to have received undergraduate credit for mathematics through Calculus 2 (for the earth systems science specialization - see below) or ordinary differential equations (for the meteorology specialization). For the meteorology specialization, undergraduate physics is required, and for the earth systems specialization, undergraduate physics and chemistry are desirable. Experience with computer programming is recommended. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from the General Test are required for all students except School of Mines graduates. TOEFL scores are required of all applicants from colleges outside the U.S.

Course requirements for the M.S. degree

Fifteen credit hours of coursework in atmospheric and environmental sciences at the 500-level or above.
Nine additional credit hours of non-atmospheric and environmental sciences electives at the 400-level or above (300-level non-atmospheric and environmental sciences courses can be accepted if approved by the Graduate Education and Research Council), or atmospheric and environmental sciences electives at the 500-level. (Please note undergraduate credit limitations given under “Advanced Degree Grade Requirements” heading on the - Graduate Policies for master of science degrees.)
Thesis research - 6 credit hours.

Other program requirements

The following program requirements apply to all students in atmospheric and environmental sciences:

Satisfactory performance on a general coursework exam.
Registration in AES 690 Seminar each spring semester.
Completion of a master’s thesis. The thesis must adhere to the format and content guidelines as set forth by the graduate school, and be approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee and the Dean of Graduate Education.

In addition, there are requirements specific to the two AES M.S. specializations. Each student will choose one of these specializations. The requirements are:

Meteorology Specialization

Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree in fields outside of atmospheric and environmental sciences or meteorology must take the following courses: AES 450 Synoptic Meteorology I (not for graduate credit),

AES 401/501 Atmospheric Physics

AES 455/555 Synoptic Meteorology II

, and

AES 460/560 Atmospheric Dynamics

. Additional coursework may be determined by the student’s graduate committee.

Earth System Science Specialization

All students will be required to take the following course:

AES 603 Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions

. They also must complete at least one remote sensing course.

Program of Study

A specific plan of study will be determined on an individual basis with concurrence from the student’s advisor and graduate advisory committee members. In either specialization, exceptions to these departmental requirements may be granted by the student’s committee for good cause.

Elective courses offered by other departments are encouraged as long as the 15 hours of coursework in atmospheric and environmental sciences at the 500-level or above are completed as outlined in course requirements for M.S. degree. Graduate students may take electives in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, engineering, engineering management, social sciences, or the humanities to further integrate their coursework in the atmospheric and environmental sciences with knowledge in other technical fields and with the general concerns of society.

A student may choose the meteorology specialization with the intent to qualify for employment in the federal civil service as a meteorologist. Specific course distribution requirements for these requirements are listed within the general description of the Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences programs section of the catalog. Students in either specialization may pursue an M.S. degree in atmospheric and environmental sciences without satisfying these requirements and be qualified for careers in many non-federal and/or non-meteorological careers. Examples of such career options include research in and applications of remote sensing techniques; work in air quality either for non-federal government agencies, or for industry or the consulting firms industries often employ; research and applications in the environmental sciences with an emphasis on atmospheric issues, and further graduate work in atmospheric or environmental sciences.

Undergraduate students at School of Mines may decrease the time required to obtain a master of science degree in atmospheric and environmental sciences by taking as electives the preparatory undergraduate and entry-level graduate courses available to them or by completing the bachelor of science in interdisciplinary sciences program with an emphasis on atmospheric and environmental sciences. They may then enter the graduate program with the necessary background for graduate study in atmospheric and environmental sciences as above.