Sarkeys Energy Center, Suite 710 National Weather Center, Suite 1100 Internet: http://ags.ou.edu |
  |
|---|
John T. Snow, Ph.D., Dean
e-mail: jsnow@ou.edu
May Yuan, Ph.D., Associate Dean
e-mail: myuan@ou.edu
Kevin Kloesel, Ph.D., Assistant Dean
e-mail: kkloesel@gcn.ou.edu
Pamela D. Neal, M.H.R., Assistant Dean
e-mail: pneal@ou.edu
The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is composed of academic and research units focused on Planet Earth and Earth-Atmosphere interactions. The Department of Geography and the School of Meteorology are the academic units in the College. Research units include the Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, the Center for Spatial Analysis, the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, the Environmental Verification and Analysis Center, and the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. The College is a key participant in the Sarkeys Energy Center and a leader in the National Weather Center, the University’s new facility for weather education, research and operations.
The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is the campus leader for basic research and education on the environment, and humankind’s place within the Earth System. The faculty prepare students for leadership roles in industry, government, and academia, and carry out basic and applied research to understand and predict weather and climate, understand how human beings live within the Earth System and, in some cases, control or exploit Earth’s dynamic processes and physical properties. The College is nationally recognized for its educational and research programs in applied climatology, hydrology, atmospheric dynamics, mesoscale meteorology and severe storms, weather radar, atmospheric physics, geographic information systems, resource management, Native American and Hispanic studies, and remote sensing of Earth’s atmosphere and surface. Since the earth system sciences are inherently interdisciplinary and environmentally oriented, the College strongly encourages and promotes interaction with the basic sciences, mathematics, engineering, and the social sciences.
A degree in geography or meteorology is an excellent preparation for further professional study, such as law, public policy, education, urban and regional planning, or museum administration.
Geography
Many geography students today contemplate careers using the rapidly expanding family of geotechniques, especially Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing. Careers that focus on these techniques cover a wide array of occupations, including working for city, state, and federal agencies and working for private-sector enterprises whose business requires the optimal location and spatial analysis of facilities and markets. The family of geotechniques, however, can and should for most students be coupled with an understanding of the other branches of geography, physical and human. Thus equipped, students can work for both public- and private-sector organizations concerned with regional planning, environmental management, and the development of planning and environmental policy. Still other students, more broadly attracted to the integrating perspective of geography, choose to view the discipline as a central part of a liberal education that will take them to a professional career such as in law or public administration or to an academic or other professional career in teaching, research, and writing.
Meteorology
Recipients of undergraduate degrees find employment in both government and private sectors. Within government, the National Weather Service and its parent organization, NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration), have needs for weather forecasters and research assistants. The U.S. Armed Forces also have opportunities for meteorologists who desire to serve their country in uniform. Many state and local water and environmental agencies also require weather expertise. Private sector companies have growing needs for weather information; examples include broadcast meteorology, consulting, aviation industry and, in general, companies which provide specific weather and climate information for their clients. Recipients of M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are most likely to become involved in research at federal laboratories or in government-sponsored programs at universities while some become faculty at the secondary school, college, and university levels.
A high percentage of eligible College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences undergraduate students participate in the University-wide Honors Program described elsewhere in this catalog. Specially designed Honors courses and seminars provide the Honors student with small classes and opportunities for interaction with the University's best and brightest faculty members, both within the student’s major field of study and in other courses used to satisfy curricular requirements.
To atmospheric and geographic scientists, Earth’s atmosphere and surface constitute a natural laboratory. Thus, it is important that students devote a portion of their academic careers to exploring and studying aspects of the Earth away from the OU campus. Field trips in geography are offered in the central and western U.S. and faculty members involve students in their active field research programs around the world. The central U.S. is a vast open-air laboratory for meteorology faculty and students who combine theoretical modeling with extensive field observation and measurement programs.
Talented undergraduate students are encouraged to work with faculty on research projects. These student research projects can be an important component of the Honors Program and/or a source of part-time income and scholarship support. Such research participation provides the student with important experience in his or her discipline in addition to meeting normal academic requirements.
Faculty-supervised research is an important component of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences graduate program. Most graduate students are supported financially through research assistantships funded by federal and private industry grants and contracts. Other graduate students are financially supported through teaching assistantships awarded by their academic unit. In either case, faculty-supervised student research leads to master’s theses and doctoral dissertations as part of the overall graduate degree requirements. This research is often published in scientific journals which may be useful in assisting graduates to obtain employment.
The academic and research units of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences are housed in the Sarkeys Energy Center (SEC) and the National Weather Center (NWC).
The Sarkeys Energy Center is a 340,000 square foot, $50 million structure. The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences Dean’s Office and the offices and labs of the Department of Geography are housed in the 15-story SEC tower. Classrooms and laboratory facilities are also located in the building.
The National Weather Center building is a new 244,000 square foot, $67 million facility located on the OU Research Campus. This building houses the National Weather Center programs, a confederation of state and federal organizations which work together on educational, pure and applied research, and operational activities. The School of Meteorology, the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms, the Environmental Verification and Analysis Center, the Center for Spatial Analysis, the Natural Hazards and Disaster Prevention Center, and the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, are the University of Oklahoma components of the Weather Center. The federal agencies that are part of the Weather Center include: the National Severe Storms Forecast Laboratory, the Storm Prediction Center, the National Weather Service Office (Oklahoma City), the WSR-88D (NEXRAD) Radar Operations Center, and the Warning Decision Training Branch. The National Weather Center programs offer a rich educational and research environment for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate study in meteorology, climate, hydrology, remote sensing, and computer applications.
The Geospatial And Image Analysis laboratory facilitates both research and teaching related to spatial data analysis, especially the design and application of Geographic Information Systems, the analysis of remotely sensed data and its integration with other spatial data types, and the statistical analysis of spatial data. The laboratory provides the opportunity for students to obtain “hands-on” experience in geospatial techniques in both UNIX workstation and PC-based computational environments.
The Center for Spatial Analysis promotes geographic thinking and spatiotemporal reasoning through research, education, outreach, and other collaborative activities. CSA offers research opportunities in geographic information science and technology, including Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, and Global Positioning Systems to faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. CSA serves the university community by providing technical support for students, faculty, and researchers to collaborate with CSA personnel and incorporate geospatial technology into research projects. In addition, learning opportunities are provided through outreach activities, internships, training courses and workshops for students as well as to the broader community beyond the campus. CSA is a member of the state GIS council and an active participant in national and international professional programs. Please visit our Web site at http://csa.ou.edu for further information.
The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences Honor Roll is compiled at the close of each fall and spring semester. It includes students who have completed at least 12 grade point hours and have earned an average of 3.50 or higher during the semester.
Part-time students enrolled for both the fall and spring semesters of an academic year will be included on the spring semester honor roll provided that, as a result of combining the work completed during the fall and spring semesters, they earn at least 12 grade point hours with no withdrawals and an average of 3.50 or better.
Students entering the University are eligible to apply for any of the general scholarships awarded by the University Scholarship Committee. General scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement and financial need. Scholarship and other forms of financial aid information is available from the Office of Financial Aid Services, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019.
In addition, scholarships are awarded to geography and meteorology students by the programs in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. For additional information, please refer to the academic unit sections in the following pages.
The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is making a major commitment to integrate and exploit computer and network technology in its courses and programs. A&GS students access and use a rich variety of materials and educational experiences through local and Internet-based resources. While the University provides computer labs for student use, the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences provides specialized computing labs for exclusive use by its majors. The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences is a partner in the University of Oklahoma SuperComputing (OSCER-OU SuperComputing Center for Education and Research Center).
Students must be admitted to the University of Oklahoma before being admitted to the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences.
First-year students and all other prospective A&GS students who have not yet met the requirements for admission to the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences are admitted to University College. Inquiries concerning admission to the University and University College should be addressed to the Office of Admissions. Students are cautioned however, that the admission requirements for the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences programs are more stringent than the requirements for admission to the University. New students considering majoring in any of the College’s programs should complete as a minimum the following high school preparatory work:
1. Mathematics — four years of college-preparatory mathematics.
2. Sciences — a year of physics, chemistry, biology and/or Earth sciences.
3. English — four years (including grammar and composition).
4. Foreign Language — two years (same language).
Students will be admitted to the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences once they declare a geography or meteorology major and complete the following requirements:
1. Earn a minimum of 24 semester hours of college credit.
2. Earn a combined retention grade point average of at least a 2.00.
Academic credit from any division of the University of Oklahoma — Norman campus, Health Sciences Center, OU-Tulsa, and Claremore, or Continuing Education — is considered resident credit at the University of Oklahoma. Grades and hours earned at any of these divisions are included in the OU retention and cumulative grade point averages for purposes of admission or readmission to the University, and to the individual colleges within the University.
Each student meets with a faculty adviser during enrollment periods and as necessary during the academic year. The Dean’s Office is staffed by an Assistant Dean for Student Services and an Academic Counselor who are available for student support. Students may visit with the Academic Counselor in the 710 Sarkeys Energy Center during normal working hours, or they can call (405) 325-3101 for an appointment.
The responsibility for meeting graduation requirements lies with the student and not with the adviser, the school/department, or the Dean.
1. A combined retention grade point average of at least 2.00 is required for admission, retention and graduation in any of the major programs in the College. Any student whose combined retention or OU retention grade point average falls below 2.00 is placed on enrollment agreement. Students on enrollment agreement will be denied enrollment privileges following any semester in which satisfactory scholastic progress toward a 2.00 average has not been made. If a student is denied enrollment, he or she may not earn credit toward a degree until he or she is readmitted to the College.
2. Grade point deficiencies (as noted above) in a curriculum of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences must be made up through reenrollment in curriculum courses in which the student had a last-recorded grade of D or F. Should all D or F grades in curriculum courses be raised to a C or above, and the student still has grade point scholastic deficiencies, he/she may then enroll in noncurricular courses. For the freshman and sophomore years, any courses may be used; but, for the junior and senior years, the courses must be numbered 2000 or above, unless the course so elected is approved as an elective in the last two years of his/her major school’s or department’s curriculum.
3. After a student has been reinstated in the University following an unsatisfactory scholastic record, the student must apply to the Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences for reinstatement in the College. The Dean will determine whether to readmit the student and may prescribe the conditions for reinstatement in the College in accordance with the policies established by the faculty and the Dean.
4. Any departure by a student from the curriculum requirements and scholastic rules must be approved by a petition and must not conflict with existing University regulations. A student submitting a petition must obtain the written recommendation of his/her adviser and submit it to his/her major school or department for faculty action and the Dean’s Office for approval.
5. The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences requires comprehensive examinations to be given during the regular scheduled examination periods in all undergraduate courses excluding directed readings, pure laboratory courses and project-type courses and seminars. No member of the faculty is authorized to depart from this regulation or from the published examination schedule for either a class or an individual without prior approval. Special early examinations given to individual students or groups of students as substitutes for final examinations are prohibited. A student will not be expected to take more than two examinations in one day.
6. Full-time students may enroll in 12–19 hours of work. Enrollment in more than 19 credit hours is permitted only with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. Permission to carry more than 19 hours will depend primarily on the student’s scholarship record and his/her ability to carry increased loads.
7. Academically superior students are encouraged to contact the Honors College office to investigate their participation in the University’s Honors College.
8. Pass/no pass enrollments may not be used to satisfy College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences requirements.
To be recommended for a bachelor’s degree in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences:
1. A student must complete at least 124 hours of coursework. At least 48 hours of upper-division courses (3000-level and above) must be earned.
2. A minimum of 60 semester hours must be earned in a senior college for a baccalaureate degree. (Credit may be accepted in transfer from a two-year college to meet lower-division requirements only.)
3. To be recommended for a degree, a candidate must spend at least two semesters or the equivalent in residence, complete at least 36 of the last 48 hours in residence and fulfill the grade and grade point requirements of the college.
4. No more than 52 of the minimum 124 credit hours may be taken in one department of the college (geography or meteorology).
5. No more than six semester hours of independent study or directed readings may be applied toward degree requirements.
6. No more than six semester hours of military science may be applied toward degree requirements.
To obtain credit toward any degree in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, a student must have a 2.00 combined retention grade point average in all coursework attempted, a 2.00 grade point average in all coursework attempted in their major area, and a 2.00 OU retention grade point average in all coursework attempted at OU.
The faculty may recommend that the degree “With Distinction” be conferred on graduates who have a retention grade point average at OU of 3.50 or higher and “With Special Distinction” on students who have an OU retention grade point average of 3.75 or higher.
Credit in a student’s major that is more than 10 years old may not be applied toward a bachelor’s degree unless it is validated by the major department or by each department if the student’s major is interdisciplinary.
The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences offers students the option of declaring a minor subject. Minors in the College are available in geography, Geographic information science, hydrologic science, and geotechniques. The specific minor requirements will be found in the section of the catalog describing the major program offered by the College. A minor in hydrologic science offered by the College is described below. These specific requirements must include at least 12 hours of courses acceptable for major credit. The successful completion of a minor will be entered on the student’s permanent record at the time the degree is recorded. The College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences also offers the approved minors to students registered in other colleges within the University.
In addition, A&GS students are eligible to declare a minor offered through other OU colleges.
Hydrologic science is the study of the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of water and its relationship with the Earth’s environment. Thus, hydrologic science is a cross-disciplinary area which blends aspects of civil engineering, environmental science, geography, geology, geophysics, and meteorology. Persons with backgrounds in hydrologic science will have the expertise to investigate the water cycle including techniques on measuring the various components with various tools such as radar, GIS, and remote sensing platforms. This will allow for preparing plans for the wise, long-term use of water resources in agriculture, industry, municipal planning, and recreation.
The minor offers two options designed to address the most prominent areas of hydrologic science: Hydrometeorology and Groundwater-Subsurface Environment. Academic requirements for either option include 12 credit hours from the hydrologic- related disciplines listed above. Consult the School of Meteorology for complete requirements.
In addition to University requirements which include 40 hours of University-Wide General Education and a minimum of 48 hours of upper-division coursework, the following must be completed:
1. Twenty-four semester hours of adviser-approved coursework which must be:
a. outside the student’s major school or department, and which
b. must contain two foreign language courses at the intermediate level, or the student must demonstrate competency (via placement or competency exam) at the intermediate level.
2. Courses prescribed for the academic program in the respective school or department.
Total Minimum Curriculum Hours Required for Graduation: 124.
1. Mathematics: Math 1823, 2423, 2433, 2443 (college algebra or more elementary courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement).
2. Computer Science: C S 1313.
3. Basic Sciences: Chemistry 1315, Physics 2514 and 2524.
4. Additional Science Requirements: A minimum of nine hours of approved courses in biologic science, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering and geosciences science courses outside the major area. A minimum of three hours of the required nine credit hours must be in a geography, geology, geophysics, or meteorology science course outside the student’s major area. A minimum of six hours of the required nine credit hours must be upper-division coursework.
5. Humanities-Social Sciences: Humanities and social sciences electives — nine hours (three hours must be in upper-division coursework). Credit for some of these courses may be used to satisfy General Education requirements.
6. Other Requirements: English 1113, 1213 or EXPO 1213, and 3153; History 1483 or 1493; Political Science 1113; professional electives (varies with major); free electives (varies with major).
Total Minimum Curriculum Hours Required for Graduation: 124.
For specific requirements for individual degrees, please refer to the academic unit sections in the following pages.
A student who has completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree may receive a second bachelor’s degree upon the completion of the curriculum prescribed for the second degree, provided that the work completed includes at least 30 additional credit hours of upper-division geography, meteorology, applied science and elective courses appropriate to the field of the second degree. These courses must be over and above the credit hours required for the first degree.
For specific information about graduate studies, please refer to the academic unit sections.
