The Agricultural Meteorology Graduate Specialization
Agricultural Meteorology is a specialization within the M.S. and PhD. cooperative program with the School of Natural Resources and the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. The specialization was designed to provide students a unique learning environment to promote understanding of the interactions between the atmosphere and the biosphere in an agricultural setting and to encourage cooperation among the community of scientists and students within the agricultural meteorology research area. Find more information on the Applied Climate Sciences website.
Resources/Facilities
- Agro-Meteorology Laboratory at the University Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) near Mead, Nebraska
- Measuring stations for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and the USDA UV-B Monitoring Network
- High Plains Regional Climate Center (and the Automated Weather Data Network AWDN)
- National Drought Mitigation Center
| Participating Faculty | Specialty Area |
| Timothy J. Arkebauer | Soil-Plant-Water Relationships |
| Tala N. Awada | Plant Ecophysioogy |
| Kenneth F. Dewey | Climate Variations |
| Kenneth G. Hubbard | Climate Modeling |
| Qi (Steve) Hu | Regional / Global Climate Variations |
| Shashi B. Verma | Micrometeorology |
| Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea | Remote Sensing / Micrometeorology |
| Albert Weiss | Crop Simulation Modeling |
| Donald A. Wilhite | Climate Impact Assessment / Drought Management |
Example Courses
- Microclimate: The Biological Environment
- Climate and Society
- Bio-Atmospheric Instrumentation
- Crop Growth and Yield Modeling
- Solar Radiation Interactions at the Earth's Surface
- Global Climate Change
- Turbulent Transfer in the Atmospheric Surface Layer
- Agricultural Climatology
Admission Requirements
All potential Agronomy graduate students must meet the following minimum requirements or provide the requested information:
- A bachelor's degree with a background that includes:
- Calculus (1 semester)
- Physics (1 semester)
- Chemistry (1 semester)
- Physics or Chemistry (a second semester of either)
- Biological Science (1 year)
- TOEFL score of 500 ( or equivalent; applies only to international applicants for whom English is not the first language.)
- GPA of 3.0 or above (on a 4 point system)
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
Career Opportunities
Students with this specialization may find employment in teaching, research or applied fields. Possible job titles for students completing the program include: teacher at the secondary level, research project assistant, and atmospheric specialist.
