Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.

Atmospheric and Oceanic Science

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Students admitted to the M.S. are not guaranteed admission to the Ph.D. program. M.S. students interested in transitioning to the Ph.D. program will need to complete the Major/Classification Change petition and have it approved by the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and the Graduate Division.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

Students who enter the program without an academic adviser are assigned a graduate adviser in the Fall quarter and should consult with this adviser when planning their graduate study. Before the first year of graduate study is completed, students choose their principal academic adviser(s). The adviser(s) also serves as the chair for the student’s faculty advising committee, members of which are selected by the student in consultation with the principal adviser(s) before the end of the first year. This committee assists the student in creating a program of study that satisfies departmental and university requirements. If the student chooses the thesis plan, the guidance committee serves as the master’s thesis committee and evaluates the thesis. If the student chooses the comprehensive examination plan, this committee administers the examination.

Evaluations of the academic progress of each student are made each Fall quarter when the graduate advisers, sitting as a committee, review student records, formally apprise students of their progress, and assist them in making future plans. The graduate advisers are also available throughout the year to meet with students as required.

Areas of Study

Atmospheric dynamics and climate; oceanography; atmospheric physics and chemistry; upper atmosphere and space physics; biogeochemistry.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Course requirements for the master’s degree are satisfied by completion of a departmentally approved program of study. Each program of study must consist of at least nine courses (36 units), six (24 units) of which must be entry level graduate courses drawn from a list maintained and published on the website by the department and chosen to ensure proper breadth and preparation. The minimum of 12 additional units of course work is chosen, from the 200-series, to prepare for their specific research area. The advanced course requirements also may be partially satisfied by: (1) 200-series courses taken for a grade outside of the department; (2) directed studies courses (596) within the department; and, in case of thesis plan students, (3) research courses (598) within the department. Only one 500-series course (four units) may be applied toward the minimum graduate course requirement for the master’s degree. Each student submits their program of study to the department prior to the beginning of the Spring quarter of their first year. Subject to the approval of the student’s faculty advising committee, the program of study may be amended, repeatedly and at any time, based on course offerings and evolving interests. The final program of study will be the basis for the departmental oral comprehensive examination. Satisfactory completion of the program of study requires an S grade for all S/U graded courses and a B average in all letter-graded courses that are part of the program of study.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

The master’s capstone is an written  examination that is administered by the student’s faculty advising committee after the successful completion of their program of study. The examination is graded pass or fail and it is designed based on criteria that demonstrate mastery in an area of atmospheric and oceanic sciences through a project in the student’s area of interest. Students are permitted two attempts to obtain a grade of pass, to satisfy the master’s comprehensive examination requirement. The Ph.D. written exam is acceptable as a written M.S. capstone examination. M.S. students who wish to continue towards a Ph.D. have to fulfill the Ph.D. examination requirements.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

Students may receive the master’s degree by writing an original thesis as an alternative to the comprehensive examination. The thesis is assessed by the student’s faculty advising committee and it is graded on the basis of critical, creative and independent thought. M.S. students choosing the Thesis Plan who wish to continue towards a Ph.D. have to fulfill the Ph.D. examination requirements.

Time-to-Degree

From graduate admission to conferral of degree, normal progress is six academic quarters (and two summer terms). The maximum allowable time limit for the degree is nine academic quarters (and three summer terms).

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	5 (+1 summer term)	6 (+2 summer terms)	9 (+3 summer terms)

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Students who enter the program without an academic adviser should consult with a graduate adviser when planning their graduate study. Before the first year of graduate study is completed, students choose their principal academic adviser(s). The adviser(s) also serves as the chair for the student’s faculty advising committee, members of which are selected by the student in consultation with the principal adviser(s) before the end of the first year. This committee assists the students in creating a program of study that satisfies departmental and university requirements. The faculty advising committee is also responsible for administering and assessing the oral and written components of the comprehensive examination to the student. Normally the student’s faculty advising committee forms the core of their doctoral committee.

Evaluations of the academic progress of each student are made each Fall quarter when the graduate advisers, sitting as a committee, review student records, formally apprise students of their progress, and assist them in making future plans. The graduate advisers are also available throughout the year to meet with students as required.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Atmospheric dynamics and climate; oceanography; atmospheric physics and chemistry; upper atmosphere and space physics; biogeochemistry.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Course requirements for the doctoral degree are satisfied by completion of a departmentally approved program of study. Each program of study must consist of at least nine courses (36 units), six (24 units) of which must be entry level graduate courses drawn from a list maintained by the department and chosen to ensure proper breadth and preparation. The minimum of 12 additional units of course work is chosen, from the 200-series, to develop a specialization. The advanced course requirements also may be partially satisfied by: (1) 200-series courses taken for a grade outside of the department; (2) directed studies courses (596) within the department; and (3) research courses (598) within the department. Each student submits their program of study to the department prior to the beginning of the Spring quarter of their first year. Subject to the approval of the student’s faculty advising committee, the program of study may be amended, at any time, based on course offerings and evolving interests. The final program of study will be the basis for the departmental oral comprehensive examination. Satisfactory completion of the program of study requires an S grade for all S/U grades courses and a B average in all letter-graded courses that are part of the program of study. After the written and oral exams (see below), the committee will combine the student’s GPA in the core courses and the letter grades from the written and oral departmental examinations to decide if the student meets the requirements to continue in the program.

Students are required to present a graded departmental seminar based on their original research as part of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 270. The grade for this seminar is based on the seminar presentation and is given by the faculty as a whole. A grade of B or better is required for the doctoral degree. Prior to the quarter in which the seminar is presented for a letter grade, students in the doctoral program are required to enroll in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences 270 for S/U grading every quarter in which they are registered.

Teaching Experience

All students are required to teach (be employed as a teaching assistant within this department) at least two quarters.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Students are required to complete three examinations before advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree: the departmental written examination; the departmental oral  examination; and the University Oral Qualifying Examination.

Departmental Written Examination

All doctoral students are required to pass a written qualifying examination that demonstrates their ability to critically summarize and synthesize literature and propose new science questions on a research topic. This ability is demonstrated by satisfactory performance on an examination that is offered once a year, usually at the beginning of the summer. Students must take this exam at the end of their first year in the program (exceptions may be requested via petition to the Department’s graduate advising committee). The examination consists of a written research proposal in which students present a critical summary and synthesis of a research topic of their choice and propose scientific questions, the answers to which would advance the field. The proposal is evaluated by the students’ faculty advising committee, who will provide written comments and a letter grade. Students will have the opportunity to respond to written comments and revise the proposal within 3 months. The revised proposal will be evaluated for a final letter grade. After the oral exam (see below), the committee will combine the grade from the written exam with student’s GPA in the core courses and the grade from the oral departmental examinations to decide if the student meets the requirements to continue in the program.

University Oral Qualifying Examination

This examination is conducted by the student’s doctoral committee. The committee conducts an in-depth oral examination of the student’s written proposal of the dissertation research topic. The proposal is made available to the committee at least one week prior to the examination. The examination is graded based on the student’s ability to articulate a coherent and feasible plan of original and creative research. Students may retake the exam once.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations. The Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree is awarded for the quarter in which students are advanced to candidacy.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

Normative Time-to-Degree is 17 academic quarters (and five summer terms). Maximum Time-to-Degree is 24 academic quarters (and eight summer terms).

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	9 (+3 summer terms)	17 (+5 summer terms)	24 (+8 summer terms)

Students are expected to:

A. Pass the written component of the departmental comprehensive examination at the conclusion of their first year and to take the oral component of this examination before or during the summer at the end of their second year.

B. Take the University Oral Qualifying Examination at the end of their third year (nine academic quarters and three summer terms) or at the beginning of their fourth year.

To remain in good standing students must meet the course work requirements and pass the departmental oral examination prior to the end of their ninth academic quarter (end of 3rd year) pass the University Oral Qualifying Examination prior to the end of their thirteenth academic quarter; and the dissertation and final oral defense examination should be completed prior to the end of their eighteenth quarter. Exceptions to these policies may be granted based on extenuating circumstances or based on students being allowed to enroll part-time. In such cases, student progress is judged in relation to a time line determined by the graduate advisers in consultation with students and their principal advisers.

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student who fails to maintain a 3.00 grade point average for two consecutive terms or for a total of three terms, or who fails to pass the University Oral Qualifying Examination after two attempts, or who fails to remain in good standing for two consecutive or three total quarters (see definition of good standing under Time-To-Degree) will be recommended for academic disqualification. A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification to the departmental chair.