Studies & Degrees in Meteorology
Meteorology Study Programs
Meteorology is the science of the Earth's atmosphere and its physical processes. A meteorologist is a physical scientist who observes, studies or forecasts the weather, in the definition of the US National Weather Service. As a university subject it is applied physics and mathematics: students learn why the atmosphere behaves as it does and how to predict it with observations and computer models.
The subject overlaps with climatology, atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry and oceanography, and many universities teach it under names such as atmospheric science, atmospheric and oceanic sciences or climate physics.
What students learn
A programme starts with mathematics, physics and computer programming. On that base it adds the core areas of the discipline:
- Atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics
- Synoptic meteorology and weather forecasting
- Physical meteorology, clouds and radiation
- Atmospheric chemistry and air pollution
- Remote sensing with radar and satellites
- Climate science and climate change
- Data analysis and numerical modelling
McGill University in Montreal, for example, describes its courses as atmospheric and oceanic dynamics and thermodynamics, atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric physics, field studies and remote sensing, and climate science. At Florida State University the faculty's areas of expertise include synoptic and dynamic meteorology, hurricanes, climate change, remote sensing, greenhouse gases and air pollution.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degree. In the United States meteorology is a bachelor's degree of its own, normally a four-year Bachelor of Science. The Pennsylvania State University has a Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science with a B.S. degree, and Florida State University offers an undergraduate degree in meteorology. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, atmospheric scientists typically need a bachelor's degree in meteorology or a related physical science, with courses in physics, mathematics and computer programming.
- Master's degree. In Europe the subject is often a specialisation after a first degree in physics or a related science. At Utrecht University the master's programme Climate Physics lasts two years, has 120 European credits and is taught in English. In Spain, where a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits and an official master's degree 60, 90 or 120, the Universidad de Granada teaches the Máster Universitario en Geofísica y Meteorología, with 60 ECTS credits.
- Doctorate. Research careers usually require a master's degree or a PhD. Penn State and Florida State both offer M.S. and PhD degrees.
Graduates of other sciences can enter the field at graduate level. Florida State University admits students with a bachelor's degree in meteorology or with a broad background in physics and mathematics; those without previous meteorology courses take foundation courses in their first year.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 24 active schools for this subject. The United States has 11 and Spain two; Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Mexico, Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia and Vietnam have one each. Examples in the United States are The Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Florida State University and the University of Miami, which has a department of Atmospheric Sciences in its Rosenstiel School. Elsewhere the list includes McGill University, Utrecht University, The University of Edinburgh, the University of Nairobi, the Universidad de Guadalajara, the Universidade de São Paulo, the Universidad de Granada and the Universitat de Barcelona.
Programmes in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are taught in English, and so is the Utrecht master's programme. The Granada master's degree has held the Mención de Calidad distinction since 2005, according to the university.
Careers
National weather services are the best-known employers. The US National Weather Service employs over 2,000 meteorologists and hydrometeorological technicians in more than 150 offices. In Spain, the state weather agency AEMET recruits its meteorologists through competitive public examinations for the Cuerpo Superior de Meteorólogos del Estado.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes several types of work: weather forecasters, broadcast meteorologists who present forecasts on television, radio and digital media, climatologists who study how climate changes over time, research meteorologists, and forensic meteorologists who reconstruct past weather for a place and time. The Universidad de Granada adds sectors such as wind and solar energy, water resources management, civil protection and environmental administration.
In the United States, atmospheric scientists held about 10,700 jobs in 2025, 26% of them in the federal government, and employment is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need physics and mathematics to study meteorology?
Yes. Meteorology is a physical science, and programmes include mathematics, physics and computer programming alongside the atmospheric courses.
Can I become a meteorologist with a degree in physics?
Often, yes. Graduate programmes usually accept a bachelor's degree in physics, mathematics or engineering, and in Europe meteorology is commonly studied as a master's degree after a science degree.
How long does it take to study meteorology?
A bachelor's degree in the United States normally takes four years. A master's degree adds one to two years: 60 ECTS credits at the Universidad de Granada and 120 credits over two years at Utrecht University.
Is meteorology the same as climatology?
No, but they are closely related. Meteorology deals with the atmosphere and the weather; climatology studies how climate changes over long periods. Most programmes teach both.