The understanding of climate science is essential to the interpretation of modern climate variations and the measurement of their impact. Climate data must be analyzed and interpreted in order to formulate useful responses and plan actions to meet specific climate challenges. The MS in Climate Science educates students to be climate professionals who can analyze and model advanced climate data. Students in the program learn to solve quantitative problems about atmospheric properties and variability, fluid dynamics, and the role of the ocean and land surface in climate. Students choose a concentration in either Climate Modeling or Climate Data to gain specific skills to understand and predict climate variations.
The program encourages applications from students with diverse backgrounds in physical science, mathematics, and engineering. Students with atmospheric science or meteorology degrees can deepen their understanding, enhance relevant computer skills, and gain insight into climate as a multi-component system. Students with physics, math, or other degrees will find that climate provides compelling applications of their mathematical and computational skills. All students will be taught by faculty of the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences Department and the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, which includes scientists doing pioneering work in climate dynamics, climate modeling, predictability, and statistical analysis of climate data.
Admissions
University-wide admissions policies can be found in the Graduate Admissions Policies section of this catalog.
To apply for this program, please complete the George Mason University Admissions Application.
Admission requirements include:
- An earned baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent, verified from official transcripts.
- A minimum 3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale in baccalaureate study.
- Complete the online application and submit all required materials.
Program admission decisions give preference to students with an undergraduate degree in physical science, mathematics, or engineering. Students with other undergraduate degrees should consult with the program's administration regarding the suitability of their undergraduate preparation.
Degree Requirements
Total Credits: 33
Students must complete the Core Courses, Seminar/Reading, and Thesis or Non-thesis sections, and in addition, choose one concentration:
Core Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLIM 511 | Atmospheric Dynamics 1 | 3 |
| or CLIM 711 | Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics | |
| CLIM 512 | Physical Oceanography 1 | 3 |
| or CLIM 712 | Physical and Dynamical Oceanography | |
| CLIM 610 | Introduction to the Physical Climate System | 3 |
| CLIM 614 | Land-Climate Interactions | 3 |
| CLIM 690 | Scientific Basis of Climate Change | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
| 1 | Students who wish to continue with the Climate Dynamics, PhD should note that CLIM 711 Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics and CLIM 712 Physical and Dynamical Oceanography are required for the PhD. |
Seminar/Reading
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLIM 991 | Climate Dynamics Seminar | 1 |
| Select 2 additional credits from the list below: | 2 | |
| Directed Reading and Research | ||
| Climate Dynamics Seminar | ||
| Doctoral Reading and Research | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Thesis or Non-thesis Options
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following options: | 3 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
| Master's Thesis in Climate | ||
| Non-thesis Option | ||
Choose one unrestricted, graduate-level elective course 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
| 1 | Unrestricted, graduate-level elective courses may be chosen from the following prefixes: Climate Dynamics (CLIM), Mathematics (MATH), Computational and Data Sciences (CDS), Computational Science and Informatics (CSI), Computational Social Science (CSS), Geography and Geoinformation Science (GGS), or chosen from the Climate-Relevant elective list (below). Other courses can be approved by the graduate coordinator. |
Concentrations
Concentration in Climate Modeling (CM)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLIM 670 | Earth System Modeling | 3 |
| CLIM 715 | Numerical Methods for Climate Modeling | 3 |
| CLIM 751 | Predictability and Prediction of Weather and Climate | 3 |
| Choose one course from the elective lists (below) | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Concentration in Climate Data (CD)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLIM 680 | Climate Data | 3 |
| CLIM 762 | Statistical Methods in Climate Research | 3 |
| Choose two courses from the Mathematical, Computational, or Geographical elective list (below) | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Please pay close attention to course credit values and consider how they will work into your degree program. | ||
| Climate Science | ||
| Urban Climate | ||
| Climate Data | ||
| Scientific Basis of Climate Change | ||
| Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions | ||
| Geophysical Fluid Dynamics | ||
| Predictability and Prediction of Weather and Climate | ||
| Ocean General Circulation | ||
| General Circulation of the Atmosphere | ||
| Elements of the Tropical Climate System | ||
| Topics in Climate Dynamics (when the topic is "Advanced Predictability" or "Convection") 2 | ||
| Paleoclimatology | ||
| Quantitative Stratigraphy | ||
| Paleoceanography | ||
| Introduction to Atmosphere and Weather | ||
| Mathematical, Computational, or Geographical | ||
| Numerical Methods for Climate Modeling | ||
| Topics in Climate Dynamics (when the topic is "Earth System Modeling") 2 | ||
| Statistical Methods in Climate Research | ||
| Advanced Statistical Methods in Climate Research | ||
| Modeling Earth Signals and Systems | ||
| Field Mapping Techniques | ||
| Scientific Information and Data Visualization | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Programming | ||
| Numerical Methods | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Advanced Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Introduction to GIS Algorithms and Programming | ||
| Earth Image Processing | ||
| Web-based Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Computational Physics I | ||
| Climate-Relevant | ||
| Soil Science | ||
| Hydrogeology | ||
| Coastal Morphology and Processes | ||
| Environment Analysis and Modeling | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Data and Databases | ||
| Quantitative Foundations for Computational Sciences | ||
| Science of the Environment I | ||
| Science of the Environment II | ||
| Environmental Science Communication | ||
| Urban Ecosystems Processes | ||
| Tropical Ecosystems | ||
| Waterscape Ecology and Management | ||
| Fundamentals of Ecology | ||
| Human Dimensions of Climate Change (when the topic is "Climate Change Policy & Politics" or "Climate Change, Public Administration, and Management") | ||
| Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development | ||
| Land-Use Modeling Techniques and Applications | ||
| Geospatial Science Fundamentals | ||
| Remote Sensing | ||
| The Hydrosphere | ||
| Space Weather | ||
| Analytics: Big Data to Information | ||
| Metadata Analytics for Big Data | ||
| Climate Change and Sustainability Communication Campaigns | ||
| Principles of Data Management and Mining | ||
| Topics in Public Policy (when the topic is "Climate Policy & Politics" or "Climate Change, Public Administration and Management") | ||
| 2 | CLIM 759 Topics in Climate Dynamics is a special topics course in which different sections can address different subjects. |
Atmospheric Sciences, BS/Climate Science, Accelerated MS
Overview
This bachelor's/accelerated master's degree program allows academically strong undergraduates with a commitment to advance their education to obtain both the Atmospheric Sciences, BS and the Climate Science, MS degrees within an accelerated timeframe. Upon completion of this 141 credit accelerated program, students will be exceptionally well prepared for entry into their careers or into a doctoral program in the field or in a related discipline.
Students are eligible to apply for this accelerated program once they have earned at least 60 undergraduate credits and can enroll in up to 18 credits of graduate coursework after successfully completing 75 undergraduate credits. This flexibility makes it possible for students to complete a bachelor's and a master's in five years.
For more detailed information, see AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees. For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies. For more information on undergraduates enrolling in graduate courses, see AP.1.4.4 Graduate Course Enrollment by Undergraduates.
Application Requirements
Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in the Graduate Admission Policies section of this catalog.
Important application information and processes for this accelerated master's program can be found here.
Students should seek out the graduate program's advisor who will aid in choosing the appropriate graduate courses and help prepare the student for graduate studies.
Three letters of recommendation, including one from a prospective thesis or project advisor, are required.
GRE scores are not required for students in this accelerated program.
Successful applicants will have an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00.
Accelerated Option Requirements
After the completion of 75 undergraduate credits, students may complete 3 to 12 credits of graduate coursework that can apply to both the undergraduate and graduate degrees.
In addition to applying to graduate from the undergraduate program, students in the accelerated program must submit a bachelor's/accelerated master's transition form (available from the Office of the University Registrar) to the College of Science's Office of Academic and Student Affairs by the last day to add classes of their final undergraduate semester. Students should enroll for courses in the master's program in the fall or spring semester immediately following conferral of the bachelor's degree, but should contact an advisor if they would like to defer up to one semester.
Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher in all graduate coursework and should consult with their faculty advisor to coordinate their academic goals.
Reserve Graduate Credit
Accelerated master's students may also take up to 6 graduate credits as reserve graduate credits. These credits do not apply to the undergraduate degree, but will reduce the master's degree by up to 6 credits. With 12 graduate credits counted toward the undergraduate and graduate degrees plus the maximum 6 reserve graduate credits, the credits necessary for the graduate degree can be reduced by up to 18.
Graduate Course Suggestions
The following list of suggested courses is provided for general reference. To ensure an efficient route to graduation and post-graduation readiness, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor before registering for graduate-level courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLIM 511 | Atmospheric Dynamics 1 | 3 |
| CLIM 512 | Physical Oceanography 1 | 3 |
| CLIM 601 | Midlatitude Synoptic Meteorology 1 | 3 |
| CLIM 610 | Introduction to the Physical Climate System | 3 |
| CLIM 614 | Land-Climate Interactions | 3 |
| CLIM 631 | Urban Climate | 3 |
| CLIM 670 | Earth System Modeling | 3 |
| CLIM 680 | Climate Data | 3 |
| CLIM 690 | Scientific Basis of Climate Change | 3 |
| 1 | An undergraduate version of this course exists. Students in this accelerated master's program who wish to take a cross-listed graduate/undergraduate course as part of the MS program should take the graduate version of the course. |