I receive a lot of email from prospective students asking for advice on picking a meteorology school and/or program.  I have compiled some information that people can use for a starting point in their search for a school or program that best suits their wants and needs.

Most of us almost never graduate with the exact goals in-mind that we had when we started.  And, within meteorology there are many different possibilities for possible employment across many related fields.  If “storm chasing” is the goal that a person has in-mind when starting a meteorology program, then perhaps they should rethink their goals – there are not any “full time” jobs within storm chasing.  And, the jobs that do exist are related to research which generally require a PhD.

Here are a few career paths that are common with meteorology undergrads:

U.S. Government Employment – National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Armed Services.

Broadcasting – These jobs are extremely hard to obtain due to the job retention rate and number of undergrads competing for the same position when a job does become available.

Private Sector – Companies such as WeatherNews hires forecasters for marine weather and transportation, UPS has a team of staff meteorologist, wind engineering companies are becoming extremely popular, other options may be Forensic Meteorology at insurance companies and even some municipalities hire meteorologist (although many contract private companies as well).

Having a good plan in-mind of the goal you want to achieve will help you pick the right school and even minor.  For example, if you’re goal is to work in broadcasting, then you may want to earn a minor in communications or if you’re planning to work in operational meteorology at The National Weather Service then you should plan to earn a minor in mathematics.

Here is a list of meteorology schools in the United States:

Alabama
University of Alabama in Huntsville – Huntsville, AL
University of South Alabama – Mobile, AL

Alaska
University of Alaska Fairbanks – Fairbanks, AK

Arizona
University of Arizona – Tucson, AZ

California
San Jose State University – San Jose, CA
University of California-Davis – Davis, CA
University of California-Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA

Colorado
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, CO
Metropolitan State College of Denver – Denver, CO
United States Air Force Academy – USAFA

Connecticut
Western Connecticut State University – Danbury, CT

Delaware
University of Delaware – Newark, DE

District of Columbia
Howard University – Washington D.C.

Florida
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach – Daytona Beach, FL
Florida State University – Tallahassee, FL
University of Miami – Coral Gables, FL

Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa – Honolulu, HI

Illinois
Northern Illinois University – Dekalb, IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Champaign, IL
College of DuPage – Glen Ellyn, IL

Indiana
Valparaiso University – Valparaiso, IN

Iowa
Iowa State University – Ames, IA

Kansas
University of Kansas – Lawrence, KS

Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Monroe – Monroe, LA

Massachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, MA
University of Massachusetts-Lowell – Lowell, MA

Michigan
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor, MI

Minnesota
Saint Cloud State University – Saint Cloud, MN

Mississippi
Jackson State University – Jackson, MS
Mississippi State University -Starkville, MS *Online Programs

Missouri
Saint Louis University (Main Campus) – Saint Louis, MO
University of Missouri-Columbia – Columbia, MO

Nebraska
Creighton University – Omaha, NE
University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Lincoln, NE

Nevada
University of Nevada-Reno – Reno, NV

New Hampshire
Plymouth State University – Plymouth, NH

New Jersey
Princeton University – Princeton, NJ
Rutgers University-New Brunswick – New Brunswick, NJ

New York
SUNY at Albany – Albany, NY
SUNY College at Brockport – Brockport, NY
SUNY College at Oneonta – Oneonta, NY
SUNY College at Oswego – Oswego, NY
SUNY Maritime College – Bronx, NY

North Carolina
North Carolina State University at Raleigh – Raleigh, NC
University of North Carolina at Asheville – Asheville, NC

North Dakota
University of North Dakota – Grand Forks, ND

Ohio
Ohio State University (Main Campus) – Columbus, OH
Ohio University (Main Campus) – Athens, OH

Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma – Norman, OK

Oregon
Oregon State University – Corvallis, OR

Pennsylvania
Millersville University of Pennsylvania – Millersville, PA
Pennsylvania State University (Main Campus) – University Park, PA

South Dakota
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology – Rapid City, SD

Texas
Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
Texas Tech University – Lubbock, TX

Utah
University of Utah – Salt Lake City, UT

Vermont
Lyndon State College – Lyndonville, VT

Washington
University of Washington (Seattle Campus) – Seattle, WA

Wisconsin
Northland College – Ashland, WI
University of Wisconsin (Main Campus) – Madison, WI

Wyoming
University of Wyoming – Larmine, WY

* Mississippi State University offers programs in Broadcast, Operational Meteorology and a Degree in Geo-Sciences.  Their Broadcast Meteorology Program is offered online as well, and may be an excellent choice for those with a career in the broadcast industry in-mind.

While this list is comprehensive, I’m sure that I’ve probably left out a school and/or program somewhere.  If you know of a school/program that you believe should be on this list, feel free to let me know.

Since most people come to this blog with an interest in Storm Chasing, it is assumed they are interested in Convective Meteorology.  Storm Chasing doesn’t require a meteorology degree and the number of storm chasers without a degree outnumber those who have earned a degree (in fact, some probably didn’t make it through high school – but you definitely should!).   If you’re interests are focused on Convective Meteorology, then strongly consider the University of Oklahoma.  Texas A&M, Texas Tech and The College of DuPage are also great choices.

Tags: meteorology