I've been accepted for a masters degree :)

[Quicksilver1989]

As per the title, I've been offered a place to study climate change at the UEA and I am also awaiting news from my application for applied meteorology starting at the end of September

I'm delighted to be offered a place, I am curious as to who else has done a masters degree in meteorology and what to expect. I have read through the prospectus and modules of the respective degrees but was also wondering if any of you guys could fill me in any further?

The only real concern for me is the mathematics side of things, the UEA course doesn't look too heavy with the maths and the ones that do require significant knowledge of it are optional modules (fundamentals of meteorology mentions about the need to rearrange equations ), the course at reading for applied meteorology, however this area is something I would really want to get into.

During A - levels I struggled, the two years doing them where hectic, I had been born with quite marked cerebral palsy leading to little independence and at 15 I had a major operation in correcting my legs and had to go through intense physiotherapy and this distracted me from my A levels I got C's and D's for it, D for maths...

However leaving Hull and going to Northampton uni along with my new found independence (I havn't used a wheelchair in 7 years and probably wont do so ever again)gave me a new lease of life and I excelled at my degree, getting a first for my dissertation thesis on Atlantic Hurricanes and SST's and got a 2:1 overall, with travelling around the SW USA being another particular highlight.

However maths didn't feature much more the foundations of weather and climate, climate change and the media, research methods etc. If I had that confidence with A level maths I would have done much better as it held me back.

I'm particularly interested in Atlantic Hurricanes but also NAO and how solar activity and SST's influence it. Also the UK climate has been a long time interest.

So regarding maths what areas do I need to focus on for meteorology? And also what other advise do you have with regards to masters study and life?

Ever since I got a little weather book when I was about 7 I have had an interest in the weather, hopefully a masters will help me towards a career in this field

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading

[Chris K]

I don't know enough myself to provide you with help (I'm currently trying to see how i could switch out of project management to start a career in weather/climate related fields of work without being jobless)...

But I would just like to say congratulations on your hard work to being accepted for a Masters - challenging but exciting (and hopefully rewarding) times ahead!

[The watcher]

I believe Crewecold is doing his at moment. Not sure though. Expect a lot of Mathematics and Physics (mechanical being a forefront probably). You seem to have some knowledge, but I'd presume that doing a masters will mean you will be expected to program and build a weather/climate forecast model of sorts.

I couldn't give you information more than that really.

[Coast]

Well done to you Qs1989, I can't help much but I wish you every success.

[Yarmy]

I haven't done a Masters, but I did do a Maths degree with a few subsidiary physics courses about 20 years ago. You will need a significant amount of Maths, Physics, and Chemistry if want to study Atmospheric Physics "properly", e.g. you'll need to know and understand Vector Calculus and partial differential equations when you see them (e.g. Navier-Stokes equations).

However, my advice is not to be intimidated by it. If you can do a degree in Meteorology, you can certainly acquire the Maths you'll need for further study. Like anything else, it just takes practice. Be patient, nobody (and I mean nobody) understands everything in Maths straight away. I highly recommend you invest in the following pair of books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engineering-Mathematics-K-Stroud/dp/1403942463

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Advanced-Engineering-Mathematics-K-Stroud/dp/0230275486/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361870273&sr=1-1

They will cover everything you need Mathematics-wise with a somewhat unique pedagogical approach. Don't worry about the word "engineering", it's not targeted at that subject: it's just tonnes of practical Maths without the rigorous proofs you would get in a straight Maths course.

Anyway, good luck and have fun and enjoy the Fine City.

[Quicksilver1989]

Thanks for the replies and yup I am definitely going to buy some textbook or 2.

It appears mechanics is the most important aspect (which I can imagine the engineering books would cover?), I remember enjoying it quite a lot but for some reason in the exam it didn't come together. Core 3 and 4 maths was difficult, core 1 and 2 however were not so bad and I did well on core 1 maths.

My A levels were 7 years ago now so I think it's definitely worth giving it another go again. Apparently there are short courses for the degree to help with the maths side, however it is good to be prepared beforehand

[Yarmy]

Thanks for the replies and yup I am definitely going to buy some textbook or 2.

It appears mechanics is the most important aspect (which I can imagine the engineering books would cover?), I remember enjoying it quite a lot but for some reason in the exam it didn't come together. Core 3 and 4 maths was difficult, core 1 and 2 however were not so bad and I did well on core 1 maths.

My A levels were 7 years ago now so I think it's definitely worth giving it another go again. Apparently there are short courses for the degree to help with the maths side, however it is good to be prepared beforehand

Mechanics will mean Classical Mechanics, specifically Newton's laws of motion. You'll need a physics textbook for that. Engineering is a misnomer for those Mathematics books I listed: they are just general purpose Maths books that are suitable for all the Sciences. (Engineering is in the title because they were originally targeted at Engineering undergraduates)

[Quicksilver1989]

Thanks the other course I applied for was at Reading which is more maths based.

Quite a lot of the courses at UEA are not particularly maths based, however this course is the most heavily maths based, here is the description if it clears things up . (Fundamentals of Meteorology):

This module is designed to give a general introduction to meteorology and its relation to climate and climate change, concentrating on the physical processes in the atmosphere and how these influence our weather. The course contains both descriptions and mathematical treatments of meteorological topics and the assessment is designed to allow those with either mathematical or descriptive abilities to do well; however, a reasonable mathematical competence is essential, especially in rearranging equations, and a familiarity with basic calculus is helpful.

[Yarmy]

Thanks the other course I applied for was at Reading which is more maths based.

Quite a lot of the courses at UEA are not particularly maths based, however this course is the most heavily maths based, here is the description if it clears things up . (Fundamentals of Meteorology):

This module is designed to give a general introduction to meteorology and its relation to climate and climate change, concentrating on the physical processes in the atmosphere and how these influence our weather. The course contains both descriptions and mathematical treatments of meteorological topics and the assessment is designed to allow those with either mathematical or descriptive abilities to do well; however, a reasonable mathematical competence is essential, especially in rearranging equations, and a familiarity with basic calculus is helpful.

Definitely get the first Stroud book then as it will cover all that. I would also get a good physics textbook and a chemistry one. Other guys could help you more with the Meteorology books, but I also have this (short) book on basic Climate physics:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elementary-Climate-Physics-F-Taylor/dp/0198567340

Not because I'm studying it, but just because I wanted to know something about the subject. :-)

[Letitsnowyorkshire]

Just wanted to say congratulations !! I would have loved to do a degree along the lines of what you have done but confidence in my maths ability has always held me back a little. I am going a History degree at the moment but I have 60 credits free choice ,so I am doing investigative and mathematical skills in science;which looks at forcasting and understanding the weather Good luck with you Masters !

[Chris D]

Thanks the other course I applied for was at Reading which is more maths based.

Quite a lot of the courses at UEA are not particularly maths based, however this course is the most heavily maths based, here is the description if it clears things up . (Fundamentals of Meteorology):

This module is designed to give a general introduction to meteorology and its relation to climate and climate change, concentrating on the physical processes in the atmosphere and how these influence our weather. The course contains both descriptions and mathematical treatments of meteorological topics and the assessment is designed to allow those with either mathematical or descriptive abilities to do well; however, a reasonable mathematical competence is essential, especially in rearranging equations, and a familiarity with basic calculus is helpful.

First of all, well done! I don't know about the Masters but, I've done the UG modules Meteorology I and II at UEA and can say there is some maths there, but not that much. I think you should be alright!

Personally, UEA's been pretty good so far