Meteorology vs Atmospheric science

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
Quick question, I'm thinking of majoring in this field... I have no clue what the difference of these is or if there even is a difference?
 
Not honestly certain, but if I had to guess Meteorology would focus on weather and its causes, while atmospheric science would be truly abut the atmosphere, much of which is far beyond the influence of most weather, with less focus on weather.

Do the schools to which you are applying even offer both? And if so, what's their take?
 
Major in whatever field has the most chicks in it. It ain't gonna be either one of those.
 
What's the course description as supplied by the school?

Or, just take a look at the syllabus for the MET101 and compare that to the AS101. My guess is AS is MET lite (less math)

In the 80s I decided to go back for another degree. I narrowed it down to 3 disciplines: Geology, Meteorology, Cartography. Geo required the least amount of math (but interestingly Geo required more math classes than the math major at that college). Met required the most math.
 
Richard said:
What's the course description as supplied by the school?

Or, just take a look at the syllabus for the MET101 and compare that to the AS101.
Click to expand...

Good idea, I took you're advice they're the same thing. Collegeboard.com lists them as the same and I looked at course descriptions which seem nearly identical.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Good idea, I took you're advice they're the same thing. Collegeboard.com lists them as the same and I looked at course descriptions which seem nearly identical.
Click to expand...


Then it all comes down to the cool-factor:

Do you want to be called a "Meteorologist" or "Atmospheric Scientist"?
 
I believe the difference, to the extent that there is one, is that meteorology focuses on practical application - that is, weather prediction - while atmospheric science focuses on research. Atmospheric science includes everything from climate science to cloud physics to atmospheric chemistry - it's a fairly broad field. If you're interested in pursuing a career as a scientists or as a meteorologist, I doubt it makes much difference what you study as an undergraduate. It's your graduate work that would matter most, and any of a variety of science majors would get you in to graduate programs. At any rate, I'm sure that's true on the science side. The board's resident meteorologist might want to comment on becoming a meteorologist.
 
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