BSc Meteorology and Climate
Meteorology is the science of the atmosphere. Knowledge of meteorology allows us to forecast weather events across a range of time scales. It is a vital tool for dealing with some of humankind's biggest environmental challenges such as climate change, ozone depletion and atmospheric pollution.
The Department of Meteorology at Reading is one of the foremost meteorology departments in the world, with research spanning the spectrum from the smallest scales of atmospheric turbulence to the largest scale of climate patterns such as jet streams and El Niño. To fully understand these complex issues, an in-depth scientific knowledge of how the atmosphere works is essential. Our undergraduate programmes aim to give our students the knowledge and skills necessary to become a professional scientist, working in the field of weather and climate or related areas.
Students often choose to study Meteorology and Climate at Reading because they have been fascinated by the weather from an early age, perhaps because of a particular event that they witnessed first hand, or saw in the news. The rigorous scientific nature of our degree programmes provides our students with the knowledge to understand the complex processes that drive the weather events that occur around us all the time, as well as giving appreciation of environmental science in general. Severe thunderstorms, flooding, droughts, hurricanes and tornadoes can all be explained in scientific terms, and if these things fascinate you, then enrolling for one of our degrees will take that fascination to a new level.
Our degree programmes also appeal to students with an interest in maths and physics, who see the complexity of the atmosphere as a challenging test for their mathematical and scientific skills. The ability to forecast changes in the weather or climate is a critical test of our ability to understand the world around us, and a great deal of satisfaction can be derived by applying scientific skills to produce a successful forecast.
What will you study?
Year 1
Introduction to meteorology
Weather and climate fundamentals
Skills for environmental science
Calculus methods
Vectors and matrices
Ordinary and differential equations
Optional modules
Introduction to analysis
Physics of the natural world
Earth structure and processes
Earth materials
Introduction to soil science
Year 2
Surface energy exchange
Atmosphere and ocean dynamics
Atmospheric physics
Numerical methods for environmental science
Skills for graduates
Atmospheric analogues
Differential equations and Fourier series
Optional modules
Earth surface processes
Quaternary global climate change analysis
Weather case studies and forecasting
Soils and soil development
Sustainable land management
Foreign languages
Year 3
Boundary layer meteorology
Part 3 research project
General studies
Optional modules
Statistics for life sciences
Remote sensing methods and applications
Dynamics of weather systems
Oceanography
Atmospheric science field course (Arran)
Global circulation
Climate change
Numerical weather prediction