Atmospheric Sciences, PhD [effective Spring 2026]

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The PhD students are expected to exhibit a higher level of independence and originality of thought than that required of the MS student.

Requirements

The 30 total credit requirements for the PhD program are comprised of:

At least 24 credits of regular course work (i.e. excluding ATMO 699 , ATMO 700 , and ATMO 765 ) in courses numbered 600 and above. These 24 credits are comprised of 9 credits of required courses (ATMO 600 , ATMO 610 , and ATMO 620 , which must be passed with a grade of B- or higher), and 15 credits of electives. These courses must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.
Two (2) credits of ATMO 765 ;
Three (3) or more credits either from regular courses or ATMO 699 - Directed Research
One (1) or more credits of ATMO 800 - Dissertation Research

The eight (8) graduate-level courses that satisfy requirement (1) above will be in dynamic, synoptic, physical, tropical meteorology, oceanography, or other closely related fields. At least five (5) of these courses must be completed at the University of Hawaiʻi. Students with an MS degree from our department will need to take at least five (5) graduate-level courses numbered 600 and above that are not counted toward his (her) MS degree requirements with a grade of B- or higher. The courses taken either here or elsewhere need to cover the required courses ATMO 600 , ATMO 610 , ATMO 620 , and one of ATMO 412 or ATMO 416 . A student must pass each of these core courses with a grade of at least B-. A student must obtain a minimum 3.0 GPA in the core courses taken at Mānoa. A student must also maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 for all the courses taken in the PhD program at Mānoa.

After these eight (8) courses are successfully completed, but no later than the 24th month in the PhD program, each student must pass a two-part comprehensive examination. The purpose of this exam is to ascertain the student’s comprehension of the broad field of meteorology and ensure that the student is well-prepared for PhD research. The first part of the comprehensive examination is a set of written exercises; this is followed by an oral examination.

No later than 12 months after successful completion of the comprehensive examination, each student is required to submit a written research proposal for approval to their dissertation committee.

Finally, the student must complete an acceptable PhD thesis and successfully defend it in a public final oral examination.