Meteorology student during news broadcast

Bachelor of Science in
Meteorology

This program prepares students for careers with the National Weather Service, the U.S. military, airlines and in broadcasting, along with the option for advanced studies.

Accurate weather forecasting can literally save lives. From hurricane hunting to severe storm prediction, meteorologists play an important role in today’s society.

Embry-Riddle’s Bachelor of Science in Meteorology program prepares students for fascinating careers in the National Weather Service, the U.S. military, commercial operations, aviation companies and broadcasting. Students may also move on to advanced studies in atmospheric sciences.

Embry-Riddle students have the unique ability to focus on aviation-related careers if desired. Students combine theory with valuable hands-on experience to ensure they’re career-ready.

Our students benefit from both direct access to experienced faculty as well as state-of-the-art weather forecasting and observational equipment, all brought together in a small class setting. Students can also complement their studies with certifications or operations-focused minors that cover a variety of topics such as airline dispatching and operations, computational mathematics, flight, defense studies, unmanned aircraft systems science, communication and broadcast media, geographic information systems, and emergency management.

Meteorology graduates depart with a deep understanding of weather analysis, data collection, forecasting, and much more. Our degree program meets the guidelines set by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), National Weather Service, and U.S. Air Force - ensuring our graduates have the professional skills necessary for immediate productivity.

Additionally, students can join co-curricular activities to enhance their college experience, with options such as the Weather Club or student chapter of the American Meteorological Society. These activities offer valuable networking opportunities at professional gatherings, including international meteorological seminars and conventions.

DETAILS

About Meteorology at the Daytona Beach, FL Campus

Students who are passionate about weather have an opportunity to study all aspects of it in the Bachelor of Science in Meteorology. As part of the program, students explore and research a variety of atmospheric challenges ranging in scale from climate change to tornadoes in our world-class meteorology lab. This lab is complete with a full broadcast studio that features the same professional graphics-generation system used at numerous local television stations throughout the country.

The Bachelor of Science in Meteorology is housed in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences in the College of Aviation. Embry-Riddle is one of a few universities in the U.S. that offers meteorology coursework approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for use in its airline dispatcher program. Students also have the ability to pair their meteorology major with powerful operations-focused minors to give them an edge over their competition. These minors include: Communications and Broadcast Media, Airline Operations, Computational Mathematics, Geographic Information Systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science, and Emergency Management.

The Meteorology degree meets all American Meteorological Society guidelines for B.S. in Meteorology as well as all U.S. Office of Personnel Management (e.g., National Weather Service) Qualification Standards for a meteorologist. Graduates will be competitive for professional careers in university research, government/military weather operations, broadcasting, and private industry.

The typical first year Meteorology student will study General Education and Physical Science courses such as English composition, Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics, along with Survey of Meteorology.

Learn more about the Daytona Beach, FL Campus

Learn More about the Meteorology Department

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology requires successful completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours and can typically be attained in eight semesters. All students entering the Meteorology program must take a math placement test or show suitable advanced placement. Because many courses have prerequisites or co-requisites, students should prepare to begin the required calculus sequence and physics sequence as soon as they are eligible. All students must complete a capstone course (WX 482) during their senior year. The student must meet all requirements in the five program areas to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology. These include: General Education, Program Support, Meteorology Core, Specified Electives and Open Electives.

General Education		38
Program Support		14
Meteorology Core		48
Specified Electives		6
Open Electives		14
Total Credits		120

General Education Requirements

For a full description of Embry-Riddle General Guidelines please see the General Education section of the catalog.

COM 122	English Composition	3
COM 219	Speech	3
COM 221	Technical Report Writing	3
CS 118	Fundamentals of Computer Programming (preferred)	3
or EGR 115	Introduction to Computing for Engineers
MA 241	Calculus and Analytical Geometry I	4
MA 242	Calculus and Analytical Geometry II	4
PS 150	Physics for Engineers I	3
PS 160	Physics for Engineers II	3
Lower-Level Humanities (HU 14X)		3
Lower or Upper-Level Humanities or Social Sciences		3
Upper-Level Humanities or Social Sciences		3
Lower-Level Social Sciences		3
Total Credits		38

Program Support Requirements

Program support courses are intended to provide foundational concepts to enhance college success or to prepare students for advanced meteorology courses.

MA 243	Calculus and Analytical Geometry III	4
MA 345	Differential Equations and Matrix Methods	4
CHM 110	General Chemistry I	3
CHM 110L	General Chemistry I Laboratory	1
PS 113L	Introductory Physics I Laboratory	1
UNIV 101	College Success	1
Total Credits		14

Meteorology Core Requirements

GEO 215	Introduction to Geoscience	3
WX 201	Survey of Meteorology	3
WX 272	Meteorological Instruments and Data Analysis	3
WX 301	Aviation Weather	3
WX 327	Operational Analysis and Forecasting	3
WX 367	Thermodynamic Meteorology	3
WX 368	Physical Meteorology	3
WX 374	Dynamic Meteorology I	3
WX 375	Dynamic Meteorology II	3
WX 378	Synoptic Analysis	3
WX 381	Climate Dynamics	3
WX 422	Meteorological Statistics and Data Analysis	3
WX 462	Numerical Weather Prediction	3
WX 466	Advanced Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting	3
WX 478	Mesoscale Meteorology	3
WX 482	Research Methods in Meteorology	3
Total Credits		48

Specified Electives

Choose one Upper Level Specified Elective		3
CIV 417	Air Pollution
GEO 310	Advanced Geographic Information Systems
WX 305	Weather Support Operations
WX 340	Severe Weather Field Forecasting
WX 361	Global Climate Change
WX 365	Satellite and Radar Weather Interpretation
WX 380	Advanced Broadcast Meteorology
WX 399 Special Topics in Applied Meteorology
WX 410	Weather for Commercial Air Transport
WX 475	Video Production
WX 499 Special Topics in Applied Meteorology
Choose one Lower Level or Upper Level Specified Elective		3
CIV 417	Air Pollution
GEO 210	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
GEO 310	Advanced Geographic Information Systems
WX 261	Applied Climatology
WX 280	Introduction to Broadcast Meteorology
WX 299 Special Topics in Applied Meteorology
WX 305	Weather Support Operations
WX 340	Severe Weather Field Forecasting
WX 361	Global Climate Change
WX 365	Satellite and Radar Weather Interpretation
WX 380	Advanced Broadcast Meteorology
WX 399 Special Topics in Applied Meteorology
WX 410	Weather for Commercial Air Transport
WX 475	Video Production
WX 499 Special Topics in Applied Meteorology
Total Credits		6

*: Specified Electives allow the student more breadth in the atmospheric and geosciences.

Open Electives

Open Electives allow the student, with the guidance of an academic advisor, to select from a wide range of possible courses, which would help prepare for their individual career path. Suggested electives include additional WX courses, AS courses, BA courses, CS courses, COM courses, MA courses, and PS courses. Students will select at least 14 credits of open electives. Students seeking graduate school in meteorology or atmospheric science should consider a minor in mathematics (applied or computational) or computer science. Students seeking to become a broadcast meteorologist should consider a minor in Communication and Broadcast Media.

Suggested Plan of Study

Students should be aware that several courses in each academic year may have prerequisites and/or co-requisites. Please check the course descriptions at the back of this catalog before registering for classes to ensure requisite sequencing.

Year One
		Credits
UNIV 101	College Success	1
COM 122	English Composition	3
CS 118	Fundamentals of Computer Programming	3
MA 241	Calculus and Analytical Geometry I	4
MA 242	Calculus and Analytical Geometry II	4
PS 150	Physics for Engineers I	3
CHM 110	General Chemistry I	3
CHM 110L	General Chemistry I Laboratory	1
WX 201	Survey of Meteorology	3
WX 301	Aviation Weather	3
	SS Lower Level Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	31.0
Year Two
COM 219	Speech	3
MA 243	Calculus and Analytical Geometry III	4
MA 345	Differential Equations and Matrix Methods	4
PS 160	Physics for Engineers II	3
PS 113L	Introductory Physics I Laboratory	1
WX 272	Meteorological Instruments and Data Analysis	3
WX 327	Operational Analysis and Forecasting	3
WX 367	Thermodynamic Meteorology	3
	HU 14X Humanities Elective	3
	Specified Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	30.0
Year Three
COM 221	Technical Report Writing	3
GEO 215	Introduction to Geoscience	3
WX 368	Physical Meteorology	3
WX 374	Dynamic Meteorology I	3
WX 375	Dynamic Meteorology II	3
WX 378	Synoptic Analysis	3
	Open Electives	6
	SS or HU Lower or Upper Level Elective	3
	Specified Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	30.0
Year Four
WX 381	Climate Dynamics	3
WX 422	Meteorological Statistics and Data Analysis	3
WX 462	Numerical Weather Prediction	3
WX 466	Advanced Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting	3
WX 478	Mesoscale Meteorology	3
WX 482	Research Methods in Meteorology	3
	HU/SS Upper Level Elective	3
	Open Electives	8
	Credits Subtotal	29.0
	Credits Total:	120.0

For course descriptions, education requirements, curriculum, and suggested plan of study, please see the Bachelor of Science in Meteorology in the Daytona Beach Catalog.