Programs in Meteorology

Meteorology at San Francisco State University

The campus of San Francisco State University (SFSU) lies within the city of San Francisco, on the San Francisco Peninsula in a spectacular setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean. SFSU's Department of Geosciences, part of the College of Science and Engineering and an affiliate of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, is housed on the 5th and 6th floors of Thornton Hall The undergraduate programs in meteorology at SFSU are administered by the Department of Geosciences. As of Fall Semester 2002, the BS in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences with Concentrations in Meteorology and Oceanography will be available to students. This degree is the only one of its kind to be offered in either the California State University or University of California systems. The new degree is distinguished by its interdisciplinary core in meteorology and oceanography completed by all students regardless of concentration. The new degree will offer meteorology students several options that will be chosen with the help of a faculty advisor. These emphases are designed to prepare students for professional careers in meteorology in operational (National Weather Service) and applied meteorology. In addtion, one of the emphases is designed to provide students the background required for entry in graduate programs at leading institutions around the country. Finally, a unique interdisciplinary emphasis will prepare students to tackle the meteorologic and oceanographic aspects of climate change. Currently, the department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Science: Concentration in Meteorology. This degree will be discontinued in Fall 2002 when the new degree is implemented. Students interested in pursuing careers in media meteorology may elect to fulfill the requirements for the Certificate in Meteorology for Broadcasters. The purpose of the program is to provide certification that students interested in making weathercasting a career have completed the academic coursework mandated by the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Board of Broadcast Meteorology. Successful completion of these courses is a partial requirement for applicants seeking the coveted AMS Broadcast Seal of Approval for Radio and Television. Finally, the department offers a variety of general education courses in meteorology, oceanography, and geology that introduce basic principles and topics of current interest across the geosciences. Both upper and lower division major's courses in the Meteorology and Oceanography program are small, and faculty members work closely with students as academic mentors. The faculty are actively involved in seeking extramural funding support for research and teaching and often involve students in those activities. Students can get professional experience outside the classroom through internships with the National Weather Service, local television stations and other organizations in the Bay Area.  Meteorology Facilities The core facility The core facility serving the Meteorology program, used in every course in the curriculum, is the Weather Graphics and Simulation Laboratory (WGSL). This lab, which consists of seven networked UNIX workstations and seven networked personal computers, receives a continuous stream of current weather data through the internet, including weather and radar observations, satellite imagery, and numerical model forecasts. Students use the WGSL to analyze and display weather data for classes and research, in some cases simulating oprerations at National Weather Service Forecast Offices. Meteorology faculty members also use the lab to model atmospheric behavior for teaching and research purposes. Adjacent to the WGSL is a multipurpose classroom/computer lab equipped with 18 networked Macintosh laptop computers, where faculty members integrate technology into collaborative learning activities and lectures.