HELP 2012-2013 University Catalog Climate Dynamics, PhD Print-Friendly Page

Banner Code:  SC-PHD-CLIM

The mission of this program is to train the next generation of scientists in climate dynamics and related fields. Our students learn, through a comprehensive grounding in classwork, about how the atmosphere, ocean, and land surface work together to determine the climate. In collaboration with internationally-known scientists, students conduct independent work to further our understanding of climate, how it varies, and how much of it we can predict. Tools in the program include cutting-edge climate models, superb computing facilities, sophisticated statistical techniques, and comprehensive data sets. Our graduates have gone on to work at top laboratories and universities.

Understanding climate variability and predictability poses difficult mathematical, computational, and observational questions that have generated increasing intellectual excitement in recent years. Climate variability has important ramifications for society, from planning for next year’s electrical demand and forecasting agricultural production to answering complex questions involving long-term change in global climate, sea level, and biodiversity. While it is impossible to predict day-to-day weather more than a few weeks in advance, progress in predicting El Niño supports the idea that seasonal averages of temperature, rainfall, and other factors may be at least partly predictable months or even years in advance. Likewise, there is a strong scientific basis for predicting long-term changes in global climate due to changing greenhouse gas concentrations.

Climate dynamics faculty members have a blend of expertise in dynamics, statistics, and computational methods. They are heavily involved with national and international collaborations. Faculty members and students work closely with scientists at the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA), a national leader in climate modeling.

Faculty research focuses on the areas of climate prediction and predictability, climate variability, coupled ocean-atmosphere- land dynamics, and dynamical systems and retrospective analysis. Recent research topics include predictability of weather and climate; modeling of the complex climate system; El Niño dynamics; monsoons; atmosphere-ocean interaction; land-climate interaction; decadal climate variability; ocean circulation theory; and climate change.

This program of study is offered by the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences in the College of Science .

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have demonstrated high aptitude for quantitative reasoning, applied mathematics, and physical science. Applicants should have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in undergraduate work and a combined GRE score of 1,100 (verbal plus quantitative). To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current résumé, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Fairfax Campus Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation and an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN. The GRE requirement for admission to the doctoral programs will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required of all international applicants who have not completed an MS degree in the United States.

Reduction of Credit

For students entering the doctoral program with a master’s degree in a related field from a regionally accredited institution, the number of required credits may be reduced up to 30 credits, subject to approval of the program faculty and the associate dean for student and academic affairs. See the College of Science graduate policies section for more information.