Climate Science Degree Program

Changes in Earth’s climate impact businesses and industries, agriculture and medicine, our environment and our local communities.

With a climate science degree from PennWest California, you’ll be ready to address our society’s growing concerns and mitigation efforts related to the effects of a changing climate.

The climate science concentration in PennWest California’s Earth science degree program provides an in-depth study of climatology and related fields. Through a robust array of both online and on-campus courses, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to understand complex climate-based issues and how they interrelate with physical hazards in the natural world.

This 120-credit climate science program can position you for graduate-level study or prepare you for climate science jobs associated with weather, climate variability and environmental concerns arising from both natural and human influences.

As a trained climate scientist, you can impact the future of our planet.

PennWest California is the only university partnered with the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the world’s most renowned professional society for atmospheric, oceanic and hydrologic (water) scientists.

Through this partnership, faculty in PennWest California’s undergraduate climate science degree program have access to special climate-focused learning materials.

They encourage students to participate in the local AMS student chapter, which provides opportunities for travel to professional meetings and to take part in weather/climate discussions, analysis and forecasting. Some weather/climate outlooks are disseminated to a wide range of stakeholders in the greater Pittsburgh region.

PennWest California also has a strong relationship with the National Weather Service office in Moon Township, Pa., which opens doors to internships and research projects with NWS staff.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: CLIMATE SCIENCE

IN-DEMAND CAREER: Weather and climate influence decision-making and long-term planning in fields ranging from business and finance to government and public health. And the need for climate scientists is growing as the effects of climate change become increasingly evident. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth of 12% for atmospheric scientists (including meteorologists) between 2016 and 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations.

EXPERT FACULTY: Faculty in PennWest California’s Earth Sciences Department are experts in climatology, meteorology and related fields, as well as committed teachers and research mentors. Their professional connections bring added value to the climate science program. For example, Dr. Chad Kauffman is curriculum development coordinator for the American Meteorological Society’s DataStreme program, and he worked with AMS professionals to author a textbook, Our Changing Climate: An Introduction to Climate Science.

ALUMNI SUCCESS: Graduates of PennWest California’s Earth sciences programs are contributing to advances in climate science.

Patrick Taylor ‘04, a NASA scientist who generates and manipulates long-term climate models, represented NASA at the International Climate Change Accord in Paris.
Neil Barton ’03, a climate modeler at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, generates numerical code to predict future states of climate.
Janice Bytheway ’05, a research scientist with the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, examines ways to better observe and represent atmospheric components of the global water cycle.
Eric Beamesderfer ’12, a post-doctoral student at the University of Northern Arizona, is modeling relationships between the forest canopy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more about applying

120

Credits required to complete the B.S. in Earth Science: Climate Science concentration.

$94K

Median annual salary (in 2018) for atmospheric scientists, including meteorologists, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Degree Benefits

PennWest California’s climate science degree program applies academic rigor to an issue of real and growing concern. It channels a passion for environmental stewardship into career-focused education and hands-on training that can be applied in a wide variety of climate science jobs. Alternatively, the concentration can serve as a springboard to graduate-level study. Program requirements build a solid foundation of knowledge in climatology and related fields such as geology and meteorology; electives encourage deeper exploration of topics such as cloud physics, geographic information systems (GIS), environmental science and conservation biology. Because of PennWest California’s relationships with the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Service and private companies, students have opportunities to engage in meaningful internships and research collaborations.

Graduate Benefits

The climate science concentration prepares students to succeed in graduate school or to seek employment in private industry, where climate-focused planning is essential to fields such as transportation, finance, insurance, construction and environmental consulting. Employment opportunities also exist in planning agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies that address climate issues and public policy. Earth science graduates from PennWest California are creating climate models that contribute to our understanding of historic climate patterns and future climate trends – work that helps to identify vulnerabilities and mitigate risk.

Curriculum and Related Programs

Curriculum - Bachelor's

Course	Credits
General Education Courses	41
Building a Sense of Community UNI 100 First-Year Seminar	1
Composition ENG 101 English Composition I	3
Public Speaking CDC 101 Public Speaking	3
Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy MAT 281 Calculus I	3
Health and Wellness Any Health and Wellness Course	3
Technological Literacy CIS 120 Application Programming I	3
Humanities Any Humanities Course	3
Fine Arts Any Fine Arts Course	3
Natural Sciences PHY 101 College Physics I	4
Social Sciences GEO 222 Geography of North America	3
General Education Options EAS 469 Global Climate Change MAT 215 Statistics MAT 282 Calculus II PHS 137 Environmental Chemistry	12

Required Major Courses	39
EAS 104 Introduction to Meteorology	4
EAS 142 Introduction to Climate Science	3
GLG 150 Introduction to Geology	4
EAS 163 Intro to Oceans and Climate	3
EAS 245 Weather Analysis and Forecasting I	4
EAS 300 Natural Hazards	3
EAS 369 Climate Dynamics	3
EAS 414 Synoptic Climatology	3
EAS 419 Applied Climatology	3
EAS 431 Digital Media for Weather and Climate Apps	3
EAS 452 Atmos Thermodynamics and Radiation	3
EAS 465 Seminar in Atmos. Science	3

Related Electives	7
GIS 311 Geographic Information Systems	3
PHY 202 College Physics II	4

Recommended Electives	12
Select at least 12 credits from the following: BIO 248 General Ecology (3 credits) GLG 200 Historical Geology (3 credits) GLG 303 Hydrology (3 credits) EAS 323 Atmos Instrument and Measurement (3 credits) EAS 342 Dynamic Meteorology I (3 credits) EAS 346 Tropical Meteorology and Climate (3 credits) EAS 442 Dynamic Meteorology II (3 credits) EAS 453 Cloud Physics (3 credits) ENS 101 Introduction to Environ Science (3 credits) ENS 399 Conservation Biology (3 credits) ENS 440 Environ Pollution Control (3 credits) GIS 350 Remote Sensing of Environment (3 credits) GIS 413 Environmental Applications GIS (3 credits) MAT 360 Non-Parametric Statistics (3 credits)	12

Free Electives	21 or 22

Total	120

Additional requirements, not counted toward the General Education requirements, include:

Special Experience Course (1 course required): EAS 431 Digital Media for Weather and Climate Apps
Writing-Intensive Component Courses (2 courses required): EAS 323 AND EAS 465
Laboratory Course (1 course required): EAS 104 Intro to Meteorology

Program Notes: 42 credits of advanced coursework at the 300 or 400 level are required.

Related Programs

Bachelor's

Meteorology

Minor

Geology
Hydrology
Meteorology

How do weather and climate differ?

In a word: time. Weather science, or meteorology, focuses on the state of the atmosphere – temperature, humidity, cloud cover, precipitation and wind – over a period of hours, days or weeks. Climate science takes a longer view, looking at atmospheric changes over a span of years, decades or centuries to see how they impact our planet and its inhabitants.

Climate scientists looking at a computer.

What does a climatologist do?

Climate scientists collect, analyze and report on data about Earth’s climate in the past and present – and they may use those data to forecast future trends. According to NASA, their tools range “from the latest satellite observations to samples of prehistoric ice extracted from glaciers.” Climate science professionals also may develop tools and techniques to assist in climate research.

How do climate scientists make a difference?

Climate scientists help us understand our rapidly changing world. Their insights can help us identify hazards, mitigate risks and adapt to climate change. All human interests – business and industry, real estate, trade, agricultural production, and our environment – are influenced by our changing climate.

Climate Science Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Earth Science: Climate Science Concentration

About the Climate Science Degree

Benefit from a unique professional partnership.