The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers a Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s (BAM) pathway degree, which can be completed in 5 years.
The combined BS+MS program in Atmospheric Sciences requires a total of 150 combined credits. Of these, nine (9) are double-counted toward both degrees:
Students may choose up to three 600-level courses to be double-counted from the following list: ATMO 600, 610, 620, 601, 606, 607, 611, 614, 631, or 632. ATMO 610, 620, and 620 are required courses for the MS degree, and will count as required ATMO electives 300+ for the BS degree.
OR
The list of 3 double-counted courses may include up to two 600-level courses from the approved list and one 400-level course, taken in the senior year after admission to the MS program. This course can be one of the following: ATMO 405, 406, or 449. This course will count as ATMO Elective 300+ for the BS degree and as Elective 400+ for the MS degree.
Students must pass the gateway class ATMO 303 (Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics) with a grade of B or higher to be eligible to apply to the program. Students with cumulative GPA 3.0 or higher may apply to the BS+MS program in the form of early admission after their fifth semester (Junior year), by submitting the same application documents as applicants to the regular MS program. Early admission to the MS program occurs in the senior year. Double-counted courses must be taken after admission to the program. If a student fails to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher after admission, they will be removed from the MS program and will be allowed to graduate with a BS degree upon completion of the BS requirements.
Students may choose to complete the BAM degree in either Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis) options. Sample 5-year plans can be found in the catalog:
Students admitted in the BAM pathway need to adhere to the requirements for both the BS and MS degree as described in Undergraduate Program Overview and Graduate Program Overview.
Students currently in their Junior year can apply for early admission to the MS program.
Applying to the BAM Program
Information for current BAM students
Current BAM students should consult regularly with their academic advisors.
Your undergraduate degree is conferred on the semester that all degree requirements are met.
During that semester, you should fill in this form to indicate your intent to graduate, in order to be included in the relevant lists.
ATTENTION: this form is not related to the forms you need to complete with UH/SOEST in order to apply for graduation. You still have to submit all relevant to your BS graduation forms.
If during your senior year you take any graduate-level classes beyond those that will be double-counted, and which you wish to count towards your MS, then these need to be in excess of your 120 UG credits.
During the registration period for these classes, you need to submit this form:
Petition for Submission of Undergraduate Excess Credits Toward a Master’s Degree (PDF)
The total number of graduate-level credits that you you took during your senior year and which you petition for counting towards your MS has to be below one-half of the total number of credits needed for your MS (inclusive of the 9 that automatically double-count).
For more information, contact the Director of the ATMO BAM Program at atmo.bam<at>hawaii.edu