College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Cornell University
• Massachussetts Institute of Technology
• Purdue University
• Rutgers University
• Valparaiso University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Pennsylvania State University
• University of Oklahoma—Norman
• University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA)
• University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
• Florida State University

Classes in the Major

Climate Science. Climate and weather are not the same thing. They are linked, though, and that's where the confusion happens. In order to correctly predict weather, you need to understand what the climate is doing, and how it's changing and generally making your life difficult. You're going to have several of these classes, from intro all the way up. Learn it well, and pretty soon you're the one explaining how climate and weather are different and getting annoyed when people can't seem to grasp that.

Meteorology. Yeah, you had to assume this one was coming. It would be like majoring in shark wrestling without actually learning the various holds and take-downs that work on our seaborne predators. There will be a lot of meteorology classes in your major, some with a lot of specialization, some more generalized. They're the most important, though. You don't become a professional meteorologist unless you do well on these. That really should be a given, but we thought we'd point it out just in case.

Physics. It's good, old-fashioned physics. This is almost too easy for you. Physics is the study of energy, and weather is the expenditure of that energy. In the case of a hurricane, flood, or tornado, it's the violent expenditure of energy. It's like, hey, weather, calm down. Your study of physics will let you know where all that energy plans to go and whether or not you'll need to wear a hat. Yes. You need a hat. A big one.

Air Pollution. Ever hear of acid rain? No, it's not some new kind of music DJs have cobbled together out of precipitation, caustic chemicals, and the shame of a wasted education. It's a term for when water in the air picks up all the gross stuff in the atmosphere and brings it back to earth in a greasy, stinging rain. It's no fun. It's just one of the many horrifying ways pollution directly impacts the weather. Along with what pollution is doing to the climate, this is a pretty important (and terrifying) part of your major.

Weather Analysis and Forecasting. There is a 70% chance you need to take this course. Just kidding, you're going to take something like this. Sciences always have the theoretical ends, which are more concerned with knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and the applied ends, which is when it's used for something instantly and obviously practical. This is the applied end when you're going to use that part of meteorology that everyone loves. Well, at least the umbrella industry. They're big fans.