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Enrollment for entry in January 2023 is now closed. Enrollment for September 2023 is not yet open.

If you would like to receive an email when enrollment for September 2023 or January 2024 opens, please email onlinemetcourses@reading.ac.uk.

The Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading has adapted some of its teaching for learners to study online with support from internationally-renowned academic staff.

These classes are suitable training for professional meteorologists, consultants, STEM students, graduates and academics seeking to improve their range of skills and knowledge. We welcome applications and inquiries from people in the UK and around the world. The courses may be suitable CPD for chartered meteorologists and cover some learning outcomes from the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M).

What to expect

  • Each week you will have access to new lecture notes which are accompanied by videos.
  • There will be weekly live online interactive sessions.
  • There will be exercises and assessments.
  • You can ask for help at live online sessions and at any time on class discussion boards.
  • You should spend in total between four and eight hours per week studying.
  • You will get individual feedback on your work.
  • If you successfully complete the course, you will receive a certificate.

The courses

Application, fees and some details

  • Anyone is welcome to apply. Look at the pre-requisites before you apply. If in doubt please email onlinemetcourses@reading.ac.uk.
  • The course fee for the 2022-23 academic year is £500 per course for  international and UK learners.
  • Competitive scholarships for 80% of the fee are available for people from low income countries.
  • You should not enroll on more than one course per term.
  • There are no university credits associated with these courses.
  • In your application carefully describe how your experience provides you with the prerequisites of the course you are applying for.

Discounts

The Royal Meteorological Society

Apply here

Tropical Meteorology

Delivered by Dr Chris Holloway, runs from January to March 2023.

This course describes and explains some weather systems and circulations in the tropical atmosphere, such as:

  • convection
  • the intertropical convergence zone
  • the Hadley and Walker Circulations
  • the El Nino-Southern Oscillation
  • the Madden-Julian Oscillation
  • tropical cyclones.

The online course is developed from this University module.

You will need to satisfactorily complete three out of five problem sheets to pass.

Timetabled sessions in 2023

  • Wednesday 11 January, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 18 Janary, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 25 January, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 1 February, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 8 February, 16:00-17:00

  • No class on 15 February

  • Wednesday 22 February, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 1 March, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 8 Mach, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 15 Mach, 16:00-17:00

  • Wednesday 22 Mach, 16:00-17:00

A joining link will be given to enrolled learners.

Pre-requisites

  • Equivalent to a B in A-level Mathematics
  • Equivalent to Further Mathematics A-level or a pass equivalent to a 2i in a first year science undergraduate mathematics module (particularly vector calculus).
  • A pass equivalent to a 2i in an undergraduate module in meteorology or atmospheric science or the online course Fundamentals of Meteorology.

Terms and Conditions

Apply here

Apply for a Scholarship before Thursday 1 December 2022

Back to the list of all courses

Climate Services and Climate Impact Modelling

Delivered by Prof David Brayshaw and Professor John Methven.

Runs from January to February 2023.

In this course, you will learn the science and practical techniques required for the provision of quantitative climate services and climate impact modelling.  By the end, you will be aware of the strengths, limitations and sources of uncertainty in climate data and understand how it is produced (observations, reanalyses, forecasts and projections).  You will also be able to handle quantitative weather and climate data, including complex geographical and forecast information, and to perform simple processing and analysis tasks in Python.  

The course will involve a mixture of online videos and lecture notes, interactive online discussion sessions, and online computing labs.  You will also have the opportunity to attend additional (optional) ‘guest seminars’ given by invited expert speakers where they will share their experiences of delivering weather and climate services to end-users. 

The online course is developed from this University MSc-level module.

Timetabled sessions in 2023

  • Wednesday 11 Jan 1400-1500

  • Wednesday 18 Jan 1400-1500

  • Wednesday 25 Jan 1400-1700

  • Wednesday 1 Feb 1400-1700

  • Wednesday 8 Feb 1400-1700

Optional Guest Seminars

16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 17th, 24th, 31st January and 7 February.
These won't be recorded by usually the presenter's slides are shared afterwards.

A joining link for timetabled sessions and guest seminars will be given to enrolled learners.

Pre-requisites

This course is highly quantitative and is based upon Masters-level material. Most students normally undertaking the material would have a good first degree (2ii or higher) in a quantitative subject such as mathematics, physics, economics or engineering. You should be competent manipulating data mathematically, statistically and computationally. The computer-lab sessions will  use Python and thus some programming experience for data analysis is also assumed. Some familiarity with meteorology or atmospheric science (e.g., the online course Fundamentals of Meteorology) would be advantageous but is not essential.

We therefore recommend students to have experience/knowledge equivalent to at least:

  • Equivalent to a B in A-level Mathematics
  • Equivalent to Further Mathematics A-level or a pass equivalent to a 2i in a first year science undergraduate mathematics module.
  • Programming experience (for example in R, Python or matlab). Standard equivalent to a first year science undergraduate programming module.

Terms and Conditions

Apply here

Apply for a Scholarship before Thursday 1 December 2022

Back to the list of all courses

Fundamentals of Meteorology

Delivered by Dr Hilary Weller, runs from September to December 2022.

This course is full and not accepting more participants.

You will learn introductory theory of meteorology, including:

  • Thermodynamics: first law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic processes and potential temperature;
  • Atmospheric moisture: mixing ratio, dew point temperature, relative humidity and the impact on the atmospheric stability;
  • Dynamics: Forces acting on air parcels, pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, drag, forces in balance: hydrostatic, geostrophic and gradient wind;
  • Analysis of atmospheric state using a tephigram;
  • Temperature gradient effects: Thermal wind balance and thermal advection;
  • Description of fronts;
  • Calculations using divergence and vorticity.

The online course is developed from this University module.

There will be six online assessments.

Timetabled sessions in 2022

  • Wednesday 28 September, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 5 October, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 12 October, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 19 October, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 26 October, 13:00-14:00
  • No class on 2 November
  • Wednesday 9 November, 13:00-14:00
  • Wednesday 16 November, 16:00-17:00
  • Wednesday 23 November, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 30 November, 14:00-15:00
  • Wednesday 7 December 14:00-15:00

A joining link will be given to enrolled learners.

Pre-requisites

Terms and Conditions

Back to the list of all courses

Statistics for Weather and Climate Science

This course is full and not accepting more participants.

Delivered by Dr Jake Aylmer, Professor Ted Shepherd and Dr Ben Harvey, runs from September to December 2022.

You will learn statistical methods and reasoning relevant to environmental science and gain experience in the proper use of statistics for the analysis of weather and climate data. Practical classes use Python. The topics covered are:

  • Introduction to statistics: basic concepts, history
  • Exploratory data analysis: summary statistics
  • Forecast verification: skill scores
  • Linear regression: correlation
  • Multiple regression: confounders, causality
  • Time series analysis: autocorrelation
  • Concepts of probability: Bayes theorem
  • Probability distributions: lots of different distributions!
  • Parameter estimation: confidence intervals
  • Hypothesis testing: significance tests, p-value

The online course is developed from this University module.

There are practical assignments each week (10 in total) and four of these will be assessed.

Timetabled sessions in 2022

  • Thursday 29 September, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 6 October, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 13 October, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 20 October, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 27 October, 14:00-16:00
  • No class on 3 November
  • Thursday 10 November, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 17 November, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 24 November, 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 1 December 14:00-16:00
  • Thursday 8 December 14:00-16:00

A joining link will be given to enrolled learners.

Pre-requisites

  • Equivalent to a B in A-level Mathematics
  • Equivalent to Further Mathematics A-level or a pass equivalent to a 2i in a first year science undergraduate mathematics module.
  • Programming experience (ideally Python). Standard equivalent to a first year science undergraduate programming module.

Terms and Conditions

Back to the list of all courses

Scholarships (applications now closed)

  • Competitive scholarships for 80% of the fee are available for people from low to lower-middle income countries as defined by the UN's list of least developed countries and the OECD list.
  • Fill in the application form describing:
    • why you are suitable for a scholarship;
    • how you meet the pre-requisites;
    • how you will benefit from taking the specific course you are applying for;
    • how your country will benefit from you taking the specific course.
  • Successful candidates will be asked to pay a reduced fee of £100.
  • Deadlines are 22 August 2022 for the September to December courses (now closed) and 1 December 2022 for the January to March courses.