Top Universities for Meteorology Programs: A Comprehensive Guide

Meteorology and atmospheric sciences delve into the study of the atmosphere and its related phenomena, with a particular focus on weather and weather forecasting. This field encompasses the characteristics of the atmosphere, such as temperature, density, winds, clouds, and precipitation. It also examines the structure and evolution of the atmosphere in relation to external influences and the fundamental laws of physics. For aspiring meteorologists and atmospheric scientists, selecting the right university program is a critical step toward a successful career. This article provides an overview of some of the best universities in the world for meteorology and atmospheric science programs, highlighting their academic strengths, research opportunities, and career outcomes for graduates.

Ranking Methodology

This ranking is based on research performance in meteorology and atmospheric science. A comprehensive analysis of 155 million citations received by 5.66 million academic papers from 4,626 universities worldwide was conducted to determine publication ratings. These ratings were then adjusted for release dates and incorporated into final scores. It's important to note that this ranking does not differentiate between undergraduate and graduate programs, nor does it adjust for current majors offered.

Top Universities for Meteorology and Atmospheric Science

Here's a look at some of the top universities offering programs in meteorology and atmospheric science, along with key information about their programs and opportunities:

1. Stanford University

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,998

2. University of Tokyo

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,479
Founded: 1877

3. Princeton University

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $19,811

4. Harvard University

Acceptance Rate: 3%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $17,900

5. Columbia University

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1530
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $20,869

6. Cornell University

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1520
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,455
Academic Highlights: Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 54% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Introductory courses sometimes take place in larger lecture halls, so 24% of courses have an enrollment of more than forty students. Undergraduates do give their professors generally high marks: 88% report being satisfied with the instruction they have received, 48% report completing a thesis/research project, and 53% conducted research with a faculty member.
Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 63% entered the workforce, 26% entered graduate school, 2% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 4% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. Graduates earned a median salary of $85,000. Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 13% pursued JDs, 4% MDs, and 25% PhDs. Popular destinations included staying at Cornell, other Ivies, Stanford, MIT, universities in the UC system, or abroad at Oxford, Cambridge, the University of Toronto, or the University of St. Andrews.

7. Kyoto University

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 22,455
Founded: 1897

8. University of Arizona

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1290
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 98%

9. Tohoku University

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,591
Founded: 1907

10. Purdue University

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 60%

11. Ohio State University

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Average SAT: 1405
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 75%
Academic Highlights: There are 250+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. A 17-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to fairly large classes as only 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, so expect a fair number of courses in a large lecture hall setting. Still, aggressive students can find opportunities to work closely with faculty. The Office of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry helps approximately 600 students per year participate in undergraduate research forums. All told, approximately 20% of students gain research experience.
Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 64% of Class of 2023 graduates entered the world of employment while 14% were already accepted into graduate or professional school. Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase.

12. McGill University

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 37,888
Founded: 1821

13. University of Florida

Acceptance Rate: 24%
Average SAT: 1390
Average ACT: 31
Receiving Aid: 92%

14. Kyushu University

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 18,560
Founded: 1911

15. Oregon State University

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Receiving Aid: 92%
Average Aid: $9,922
Enrollment: 35,622

16. Yale University

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,044

17. Nagoya University

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 15,834
Founded: 1939

18. University of Chicago

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $27,979

19. Iowa State University

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average SAT: 1230
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 89%
Annually, Iowa State University grants about 356 degrees to those studying Mechanical Engineering, the institution’s most popular major.

20. Monash University

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 1958

21. University of Miami

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $41,028
At the University of Miami, the most popular majors students pursue are Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, Finance, General, Psychology, and General.

22. Osaka University

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 23,123
Founded: 1931

23. University of Utah

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1289
Average ACT: 26
Receiving Aid: 79%

24. Duke University

Acceptance Rate: 7%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $23,422

Additional Universities with Meteorology Programs

The following universities also offer degree programs in meteorology, atmospheric science, or related fields:

Central Michigan University: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. At Central Michigan University, the three most popular college majors students pursue are Psychology, General, Kinesiology and Exercise Science, and Community Organization and Advocacy.
North Carolina State University: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
University of Wisconsin-Madison: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can select from 100+ majors across twelve colleges and schools. 47% of class sections enroll fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research opportunities are within reach as 21% of recent graduates completed one. The Office of Undergraduate Research facilitates numerous opportunities throughout the year, and hosts an annual Undergraduate Research Day and Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at which 550+ students make presentations. Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 94% of Class of 2023 grads had positive outcomes. 71% found employment; the companies/organizations that hired the greatest number of grads included Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Capital One, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft employ more than 900 alumni each. The salary range for 2023 grads was between $60k and $86k.
Pennsylvania State University: Offers a Meteorology: MS, PhD program. Academic Highlights: Penn State offers 275 majors and a number of top-ranked programs in a host of disciplines. Unlike some public research universities that can have student-to-faculty ratios greater than 20:1, PSU boasts a solid 15:1 ratio. That level of support allows 61% of classes to have an enrollment below thirty students. Even at such a large institution, it is possible to get involved in undergraduate research. Eberly College of Science professors are running upwards of 3,000 research projects per year, and the school has a well-maintained and up-to-date database of undergraduate research positions. All told, 16% of graduates report having engaged in undergraduate research. Professional Outcomes: By graduation, 79% of Nittany Lions have found their next employment or graduate school home. Over a hundred alumni work at Tesla; Deloitte, Amazon, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Accenture each employ over 500 alumni. Three-quarters of recent graduates employed full-time earned starting salaries of greater than $50k.
University of Oklahoma: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
Texas A&M University: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. Academic Highlights: With sixteen schools and colleges and 140+ undergraduate degree programs, Texas A&M is a massive operation. Class sizes trend large, but 25% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students and personal connections with professors are entirely possible, particularly through the research-oriented LAUNCH program. Professional Outcomes: On graduation day, 79% of students had already received at least one job offer or were heading to graduate/professional school. Many Aggies go on to work at major oil, tech, and consulting firms; Amazon, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Apple, Halliburton, and Google each employ more than 500 alumni. Starting salaries were strong-on average grads netted around $65k.
Saint Louis University: Offers B.A. and B.S. programs.
University of Utah: Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
University of Washington: Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across twelve colleges/schools. Twenty-six percent of sections contain 50 or more students compared to 29% of sections that contain fewer than 20. Still, there are opportunities for personal connections with professors as evidenced by the fact that 80% of graduates complete research during their four years at UW. Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 62% of Class of 2023 grads were employed and 24% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2023 included Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Seattle Children’s, and Deloitte. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, most remain at UW itself.
Florida State University: Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty is a 17:1, which translates into somewhat larger class sizes. Ten percent of sections contain more than fifty students, and 4% have more than 100. However, that is balanced by the 66% of sections that contain fewer than twenty students. Undergraduate research is taken advantage of by one-quarter of students, and the school plans to greatly expand such offerings in the coming years. An abundance of study abroad choices include special summer programs in Panama, Florence, London, and Valencia, Spain. Professional Outcomes: Eighty-three percent of job-seeking Seminole grads receive at least one offer of employment within three months of graduation. Thirty percent of seniors found employment through Career Center services at FSU. Employers hiring the greatest number of FSU alumni include Apple, Northrop Grumman, EY, General Motors, and Deloitte.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): Academic Highlights: Close to half of classrooms contain fewer than twenty Bruins, but those taking introductory courses will find themselves in a fair number of lecture halls with a hundred or more students. Professors are given impressively high marks for a research university of UCLA’s size. 93% of College of Letters and Science seniors rate their professors as being intellectually challenging. By the time they graduate, 45% of undergraduates have participated in a research experience. Every year, roughly one-quarter of the undergraduate population elects to study abroad, a sharp increase from only a few years ago. Professional Outcomes: Thousands of alumni can be found working at Google, Amazon, and Apple. Otherwise, the most attended grad schools are primarily other excellent California-based institutions including Stanford, USC, and Berkeley. For graduates early in their careers, the median salary is $78,600, with mid-career median earnings reaching over $149k.
University of California, San Diego (UCSD): Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. While 26% of course sections are held in larger lecture halls and contain 50+ students, 42% of undergraduate courses sport an enrollment under 20. Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included Amazon, Boeing, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Qualcomm, and Tesla. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $70,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country.
University of California, Berkeley: Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools. Undergrads will encounter a mix of large lectures (20% of sections contain more than 50 students) and tiny, single-digit enrollments in seminar-style courses (21% of sections contain nine or fewer students). Plenty of undergraduate research opportunities exist, with many facilitated by the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarships; 48% of students participate in research during their time at Berkeley. Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 53% of Cal’s Class of 2023 had already secured employment, and 17% were headed to graduate school. The median starting salary was $94,000 across all majors. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech): Each year, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University grants about 526 degrees to those majoring in Computer and Information Sciences, General, the institution’s most popular major. Academic Highlights: Eight undergraduate colleges that offer 150+ distinct majors are housed within Virginia Tech. 34% of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1. Overall, 19% of recent graduates report participating in some type of undergraduate research experience, but landing such opportunities is much easier for members of the Honors College. Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 37% of the Class of 2023 were employed and 14% were in graduate school. Graduates work at major corporations including Deloitte, EY, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Kimley-Horn, Northrop Grumman, and Accenture. The median salary for 2023 graduates was $70,000.
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder): Academic Highlights: Forty percent of classes actually have fewer than 20 students, while 19% of courses enroll 50 or more students. Opportunities to connect with faculty for research opportunities span all majors and fields of study. The school also offers the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Program, which enables engineering students to conduct paid faculty-mentored research. Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving CU Boulder, 83% of recent grads were working or in graduate school. 47% of graduates earned between $50k and $75k, with the greatest number working at Lockheed Martin, Charles Schwab, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and RS&H. More than 100 alumni can also be found at Google, Amazon, Apple, Oracle, and Microsoft.
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA): Academic Highlights: The USAFA boasts an outstanding 8:1 cadet-to-faculty ratio, and classes are accordingly modest in size with 66% of sections containing fewer than 20 students, a number that would make most traditional liberal arts schools jealous. There are plenty of opportunities to participate in research, whether at one of the 24 research centers and institutes or through the Cadet Summer Research Program, which attracts 450 cadets. Professional Outcomes: As with any service academy, the bulk of graduates spend a good portion of their careers within the armed forces. For USAFA grads, a minimum five-year commitment to the Air Force is mandatory. Many alumni spend time later in their careers working in the commercial airline industry at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines. Many also work for Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Lockheed Martin.
University of Michigan: Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges. Michigan sports a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 18% of classes contain 50 or more students, but a solid 53% of classes offer a more intimate experience with fewer than 20 students. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program draws in 1,300 participants each year who partner with 800+ research mentors. For students in all academic programs at Michigan, study abroad opportunities are taken advantage of at high rates. Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school. The median salary across all majors is approximately 70k. Top employers include PwC, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One. Within six months, 93% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $99k) or in grad school.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): Academic Highlights: Eight of UIUC’s fifteen schools cater to undergraduate students. Illinois’ student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1 is high even for a public institution, but the school still manages to keep 39% of sections capped at 19 students. Professional Outcomes: 91% of recent UIUC grads landed at their next destination within six months of graduation, with 35% matriculating directly into an advanced degree program. 56% were employed full-time. Corporations landing the most recent Illinois grads were Amazon, Deloitte, Epic, KPMG, and PwC. The average salary across all majors was an extremely solid $76,000.
San Jose State University: Academics: While class sizes aren’t small, 31% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and 67% of classes are kept under fifty students. There are numerous opportunities for undergraduate research through programs like the McNair Scholars Program, the Biology Undergraduate Research Program, and the Provost’s Undergraduate Fellowship. Professional Outcomes: Many recent grads found homes in Silicon Valley or other California-based employers. Graduates earn a median salary of $79,000 at the beginning of their careers, but ten years out of school, median earnings rise to $147k.
Northland College: At Northland College, the three most popular college majors students study are Biology/Biological Sciences, General, Outdoor Education, Natural Resources and Conservation, and Other.
SUNY Oneonta: At SUNY Oneonta, the most popular majors students pursue are Elementary Education and Teaching, Psychology, General, and Business/Managerial Economics.
Western Kentucky University: Annually, Western Kentucky University grants about 169 degrees to those studying Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, the school’s most popular major.
Ohio University-Main Campus: Each year, Ohio University-Main Campus grants around 1396 degrees to students studying Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse, the school’s most popular major.

Degree Programs Offered

Many universities offer a range of degree programs in meteorology and atmospheric science, including:

B.S. (Bachelor of Science)
B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)
M.S. (Master of Science)
M.A. (Master of Arts)
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
P.O. M.S. and Ph.D.
B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)
Atmospheric Science: MSc, PhD. Also one-year Diploma program. 805 Sherbrooke St.
Geography BA, with Concentration in Meteorology & Climatology. 1664 N.

Career Paths for Meteorology Graduates

When you tell your friends that you want to study meteorology and atmospheric science in college, they’ll instantly envision you on the local news, donning a wacky bowtie, predicting the next snowstorm about as well as a coin flip. Believe it or not, the majority of meteorology grads are actually employed by the government within agencies like the National Weather Service, NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Agriculture. Many other graduates go on to work in private industry or further their education in order to teach at the university level.

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