EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS - SURVEY OF GRADUATE DEGREE PROCEDURES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

To document the inner workings of graduate degree programs, the author s surveyed the 67 American and Canadian universities that grant Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and/or Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in the atmospheric sciences and related fields. Topics included (a) admission standards such as graduate record exam scores and grade point average s; (b) start-up issues such as course requirements and computer progra mming skills; (c) M.S. attributes such as thesis length, years until g raduation, and thesis versus nonthesis options; (d) Ph.D. procedures s uch as exam sequences and timing, thesis page length, workplace ethics and teamwork, and development of teaching skills; and (e) employment after graduation. This information could aid university departments in their future program planning.