<p>I am trying to help my niece who is wants to be a meterologist. She is very low-income, first generation, high performing student in a rural HS with a less rigorous curriculum. Waiting to hear from her about the test scores.</p>
<p>I don't believe that she has had a high-powered Math/Science preparation. Would she be better advised to try to get good money at an LAC and get meterology as a graduate, or is that even possible?</p>
<p>Penn State is probably the best school in the country for meteorology.</p>
<p>SUNY Oswego is known pretty well for meteorology and isn’t as expensive for out of state tuition as many other schools</p>
<p>I have not researched this subject, but I have always heard Penn State is the place for meterology.</p>
<p>Valparaiso is a school that is great for meteorology. It also gives good merit aid.</p>
<p>Plymouth State University in NH has a good program.</p>
<p>here is a list of schools that offer meterology(over 100 universities)</p>
<p>[Listing</a> of Colleges and Universities Offering Meteorology and Atmospheric Science Courses](<a href=“404 - American Meteorological Society”>http://www.ametsoc.org/amsucar_curricula/index.cfm)</p>
<p>The University of Oklahoma has an amazing meteorology program. I believe they have an affiliation with the national weather service (whose headquartered in Oklahoma City). Why Oklahoma? Because it has some of the most diverse weather in the world–ice storms and blizzards to huge thunderstorms to over 100 degree weather.</p>
<p>Wisconsin has a very good one focusing on climate and monitoring. Designed first US weather satellites.</p>
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My exposure to applied meteorology is somewhat limited, but I’ve taken a number of courses in the closely linked fields of physical oceanography and atmospheric science. Physics and math play an extremely important role in meteorology, as does chemistry to a lesser extent. </p>
<p>As for your question, the answer is that it depends on what she wants to do. There are two types of meteorologists. The first is the one on television that people consult when planning their daily activities. That job typically requires no more than a bachelor’s and sometimes a background in journalism or communications. Needless to say, extremely few jobs are available. The other type is a research scientist, whose work often falls under the jurisdiction of entities like NOAA, the Office of Naval Research, etc. Some people (I personally know of several) get decently paying jobs as research assistants with only a BS; such jobs are rather limited in advancement opportunities, however. A MS or PhD is much more useful, and a LAC would be perfectly good preparation for graduate studies. More specifically, the LAC would need to have strong physics and math programs, at least a decent computer science program, and decent to good programs in chemistry and geology/earth sciences. </p>
<p>As with most fields, I think it’s a good idea to start with basic factors – size, location, selectivity, etc. – before narrowing down the list still further based on major quality/availability.</p>
<p>I second SUNY Oswego. It has an excellent meteorology program, and because she is a high-performing student, she should be able to get some great financial aid.</p>
<p>She should also look into Colorado State University, which has an excellent atmospheric science program.</p>
<p>“The University of Oklahoma has an amazing meteorology program. I believe they have an affiliation with the national weather service (whose headquartered in Oklahoma City).”</p>
<p>Actually, the National Weather Center is located right on OU’s campus in Norman. The school of meteorology is located in the same building. [College</a> of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences | University of Oklahoma](<a href=“College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences”>College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences)</p>