University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa – Five-Year Academic Plan

Fast-Track Combined Bachelor of Science + Master of Science

The program of courses listed below satisfies the NOAA National Weather Service employment
requirements of at least 24 semester hours in meteorology/atmospheric sciences as listed after the tables.
Any deviations must be approved by the student’s advisor, department chair and the dean. The University
General Education Core & graduation requirements for Atmospheric Science are included. All lower
division ATMO courses must be completed before taking upper division ATMO courses. All courses must
be taken for a letter grade. There are separate plans for Plan A and Plan B pathways.

PLAN A – 5-Year Plan (with Thesis)

Notes:
– Students must take placement exams to be able to register for CHEM 161 and MATH 241
– Minimum 45 upper division (300+ course) credits are required
– Students must incorporate all focus requirements into this plan. Focus designations (i.e. W, E, O, H) are
CRN specific and semester specific
– *If students take 412 or 416 in their Spring Junior year they can choose not to take 405 in Fall Senior
year. In this case they can replace 405 with another elective 400+ level course.

PLAN B – 5-Year Plan (with No Thesis)

Notes:
– *If students take 412 or 416 in their Spring Junior year they can choose not to take 405 in Fall Senior
year. In this case they can replace 405 with another elective 400+ level course.

NOAA National Weather Service Course Requirements

  • 6 semester hours in Atmospheric Dynamics *
  • 6 semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale)
  • 3 semester hours of physical meteorology; and
  • 2 semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.
  • 6 semester hours of physics with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions. *
  • 3 semester hours of ordinary differential equations.
  • At least 9 semester hours of course work for a physical science major in any combination of
    three or more of the following: Physical Hydrology, Chemistry, Physical Climatology, Aeronomy,
    Computer Science, Advanced Electricity and Magnetism, Statistics, Physical Oceanography,
    Radiative Transfer, Advanced Thermodynamics, and Light and Optics

* Prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics,
physics and differential equations. Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major.

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