by Frances Stanford

Created on: November 20, 2008

If you have an interest in the atmosphere and weather patterns, a career in meteorology may be the right one for you. Meteorologists are also called atmospheric scientists. Their work involves the study of the physical characteristics, processes and motion of the atmosphere in order to report on how all of these will affect our daily life. Forecasting the weather is one of the best well-known duties of a person in this line of work. Along with predicting the weather on a daily basis, a meteorologist also uses the study of past weather trends to make predictions about climactic patterns that are likely to affect a region over the course of several months or years.

In order to become a meteorologist, you must hold a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university with courses in meteorology. Some universities in the country do offer a degree program leading to a Bachelor of Meteorology. This undergraduate degree is necessary in order to obtain an entry-level position in this field. Some positions require you to hold a Master's degree and for some higher ranking positions you may even need to hold a Doctorate degree.

If you hold a Bachelor of Science, the requirement for an entry-level position as a meteorologist is at least 24 semester hours in meteorology or atmospheric science courses. This is the equivalent of 8 courses and the requirements are further sub-divided as follows:

- 6 semester hours (2 courses) in the analysis and prediction of weather systems

- 6 semester hours in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics

- 3 semester hours in physical meteorology

- 2 hours involved in remote sensing

Your science degree program must also include courses in statistics, chemistry, physics, oceanography, aeronomy, mathematics and physical hydrology. As you can see, a meteorologist must be well versed in several different sciences.

When you choose your degree program with hopes of becoming a meteorologist when you graduate, you should ensure that your courses are ones approved by the National Weather Service. In addition to a good knowledge of science, weather and atmosphere, you will also need to have computer skills obtained through computer science courses in university and good written and oral communication skills. If you wish to work as a broadcaster for a radio or television station delivering the weather forecast, you will also need to take courses in speech and journalism.

In order to become a certified meteorologist by the American Meteorological Association (AMA), you must meet the formal education requirements of the association and have a minimum of 5 years of experience working in the field. You must pass an examination and provide character references from certified meteorologists.

The field of meteorology is one in which there is ample opportunity for employment. In this job, you can work for a TV station, at an airport, in large cities and in remote areas. This career choice involves shift work because the job goes on 24 hours a day providing an important service for everyone.

Learn more about this author, Frances Stanford.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.