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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

School of Natural Resources

From Earth to Sky and Everything In Between

The Climate Assessment and Impacts Graduate Specialization


The Platte River, July 2006. Photo courtesy of Dr. Kenneth Dewey, High Plains Climate Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Platte River, July 2006. Photo courtesy of Dr. Kenneth Dewey, High Plains Climate Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The Climate Assessment and Impacts specialization promotes an understanding of the interactions between climate and society and methodologies for climate assessment and impact. Students will conduct research that draws on the expertise of multiple faculty from among the community of scientists working on climate assessment, climate impacts and problem-oriented policy research.

Resources/Facilities

The School of Natural Resources (SNR) is housed in the newly renovated Hardin Hall on UNL’s beautiful East Campus. The new building has excellent office and classroom facilities to support research, teaching and outreach regarding natural resources. In addition, excellent computer, lab and field facilities are available through the Applied Climate Sciences group of the SNR, the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT), and the Department of Geosciences.

The National Drought Mitigation Center and the High Plains Regional Climate Center are part of SNR and are involved in many state, regional, national and international climate-assessment activities that provide students with an excellent learning environment. Students have the opportunity to interact with experts at other universities, as well as with scientists in federal agencies and at regional and international organizations. The High Plains Regional Climate Center also maintains the Automated Weather Data Network in the High Plains region. It provides a wealth of climate data for research applications.

Faculty Point-of-Contact

If you are interested in the Climate Assessment and Impacts graduate specialization, please feel free to contact the following SNR faculty member:

Advising Faculty Specialty Area
Mark R. Anderson Synoptic and Satellite Meteorology
Kenneth F. Dewey Climate Variations
Michael J. Hayes Drought Mitigation/Impacts
Kenneth G. Hubbard Climate Modeling
Qi (Steve) Hu Regional/Global Climate Variations
James W. Merchant Remote Sensing / GIS
Clinton M. Rowe Physical Meteorology / Climatology
Donald C. Rundquist Remote Sensing
Mark D Svoboda Drought Monitoring / Early Warning
Elizabeth A. Walter-Shea Remote Sensing / Micrometeorology
Albert Weiss Crop Modeling
Donald A. Wilhite Drought Monitoring, Mitigation, and Planning

Example Courses

Admission Requirements

All potential SNR M.S. graduate students must meet the following minimum requirements or provide the requested information:

  • A bachelor’s degree with a background that includes at least one course in each of the following disciplines with a minimum of eight courses total:
    • Mathematics (must include one semester of Calculus)
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Life Sciences (Agronomy, Biology, Ecology, Forestry, Wetlands, etc.)
    • Earth Sciences (Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Soils, etc.)
  • GRE scores of 500 verbal, 620 quantitative, and 4.0 analytical writing
  • TOEFL score of 600 paper-, 300 computer- or 79 web-based (applies only to international applicants for whom English is not the first language)
  • GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point system)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose

In addition to the basic SNR requirements, this specialization also requires a strong background in science.

Program Requirements

Print a document containing complete program requirements.

Career Opportunities

Students with this specialization will have opportunities for employment in teaching, research, or applied science fields in the public and private sectors.

Printable Version (pdf)