Meteorology

Who
Anyone with an interest in the weather that goes beyond “bloody hell, it’s raining again”. A good scientific grounding, especially in maths and physics, will also help.

What
For one brief, thrilling moment, YouCan envisaged this as being the study of meteorites, with undergraduates standing around deserts in Arizona hoping for rocks to fall from the sky.While that, sadly, isn’t the case, the reality is no less lofty, being as it is the study of the atmosphere. This focuses on the physical science behind weather systems and climate, covers some geology and may feature field trips and lab work as well as lectures and tutorials.

Where
The University of East Anglia, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Leeds and the University of Reading all offer versions of this course, although only Reading runs with the simple title of meteorology.Other institutions combine it with geophysics, atmospheric science and oceanography.Check details of each course via institutions’prospectuses or websites.

How
At least BBC at A-level, preferably in subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, geology and environmental science.This is a scientific discipline and you will struggle without a good grounding in these subjects.

Why
Knowing when to carry an umbrella is a skill for life; should you wish to make a more lucrative application of your meteorology knowledge, the Met Office and the Environment Agency may have use of it, as may a variety of other, independent organisations, with climate change becoming more and more of a worry for businesses.

Websites

• The Met Office www.metoffice.gov.uk
• The International Journal of Meteorology www.ijmet.org