Master in Meteorology

Objectives and competences

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The general objective of the master's degree is to provide basic training in meteorology. The proposal forms part of the UB's offering of professional master's degrees and is considered a specialisation that is necessary for future researchers who wish to specialise or take a doctoral programme in this field. The master's degree is designed to ensure that the basic training of meteorologists and meteorological experts is adapted to the guidelines of the World Meteorological Organisation and includes relevant subjects in atmospheric sciences: physical meteorology, dynamic meteorology, micrometeorology, cloud physics, radiation, modelling, analysis and prediction, and climatology.

Competences

General competences

• Capacity to critically analyse the rigour of theoretical developments and the reliability of observations in the field of meteorology.
  
• Capacity to propose and assess a relevant problem effectively and efficiently.
  
• Capacity to give oral presentations and write scientific articles.

Specific competences

• Capacity to learn and understand in depth the main physical processes and interactions that lead to meteorological phenomena.
  
• Capacity to describe qualitatively and quantitatively movements of the atmosphere at all spatial scales (from turbulent eddies to general atmospheric circulation), and capacity to determine the mechanisms that govern the behaviour of these movements.
  
• Capacity to understand the science related to climate change, the expressions and impact that it has and its relationship with past climate changes, and capacity to determine the expected evolution of the future climate and to assess uncertainty and unknown factors.
  
• Capacity to understand how numerical models of weather, climate and air quality are formulated on the basis of physical principles, and how they are used for forecasting and assessment.
  
• Capacity to analyse and interpret meteorological and climate data using different techniques.
  
• Programming skills and the development of algorithms to analyse meteorological or climate data and resolve meteorological problems.
  
• Capacity to interpret meteorological diagrams and synoptic maps and to use them to assess and predict meteorological situations. Capacity to assess the risk associated with each kind of forecast, and to evaluate the journalistic content and communication to the general public.
  
• Capacity to know how to use the main meteorological instruments and observation systems, and to interpret radar and satellite images.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Students with special interest in understanding the atmosphere and climate, with particular sensitivity to the challenges involved in improving the representation of observations, the modelling of physical processes that occur in the atmosphere, and the understanding of climate change and its projection according to different socioeconomic situations.
To ensure that students have a suitable level of knowledge and can successfully take the master's degree, they should have sound knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics, as well as a good command of English and user-level IT skills.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

• Official Spanish university degree.


• A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.


• A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements
To access the master's degree, students must have obtained a bachelor's degree (or pre-EHEA degree) in Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Technology Engineering or equivalent qualifications from other countries.
Students who hold a bachelor's degree or pre-EHEA degree in the following subjects may also access the course: Geography, Biology, Geology and other engineering degrees. However, they must first take bridging courses, as determined by the Coordination Committee.

Bridging courses

• Mathematics I, from the bachelor's degree in Chemistry (6 credits)
  
• Mathematics II, from the bachelor's degree in Chemistry (6 credits)
  
• Principles of Mechanics, from the bachelor's degree in Physics (6 credits)
  
• Fundamental Principles of Waves, Fluids and Thermodynamics, from the bachelor's degree in Physics (6 credits)
  
• Fundamental Chemistry I
  Students who are required by the Coordination Committee to take bridging courses must have completed and passed the subjects that are specified in each case before they can join the master's degree course.
  

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

First period: 1 February'21 June 2024.
Second period: 25 June '8 September 2024.

Notes:

• Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
• Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

• Pre-enrolment application
  
• Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
  
• Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria

Selection criteria

The Coordination Committee considers each application on the basis of the following merits:

a) Degree qualification and academic record (80%)
b) Professional experience (15%)
c) Level B2 English (5%).

Notification

The Master's Degree Committee is responsible for the selection process. Applicants shall be notified of the decision.

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

• Documents required for enrolment
• Procedure to formalize enrolment
• Grants and financial aid (in Catalan)
• Economic information (in Catalan)

Welcome

• Student Support Service
• Grants and financial aid (in Catalan)
• Accommodation

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

List of subjects

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: Meteorology
Analysis and Data Processing	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Atmospheric Radiation and Climate Change	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Climate Physics	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Climate Variability and Predictability	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Dynamic Meteorology	Compulsory	1st semester	2.5
Final Project	Compulsory	1st semester 2nd semester	15
Fundamental Principles of Dynamic Meteorology	Optional	1st semester	2.5
Hydrometeorology and Meteorological Risks	Optional	1st semester	5
Instrumentation and Remote Sensing in Meteorology	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Meteorological Analysis and Forecasting	Compulsory	2nd semester	5
Meteorology and the Media	Optional	1st semester	2.5
Micrometeorology	Compulsory	2nd semester	5
Optional Institutional or Company Placement	Optional	1st semester 2nd semester	2.5
Physical Meteorology	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Radar Meteorology	Optional	2nd semester	2.5

Bridging courses

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Meteorology
Mathematics I	Optional	1st semester 2nd semester	6
Physics I	Optional	1st semester 2nd semester	6

Previous years

• Course plans 2023 - 2024
• Course plans 2022 - 2023
• Course plans 2021 - 2022

Teaching staff

List of spring and autumn teaching staff on a current course

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record.  There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 750 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.

Institutional information

• Regulations on external placements


• FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

There is an increasing demand for graduates with master's degrees and PhDs, due to their versatility and capacity to tackle problems in different areas using innovative approaches and methods. The career opportunities are highly varied:
- Basic research
- State and regional meteorological centres
- Environmental companies
- Wind energy companies
- Weather forecasting companies for different applications such as sailing, skiing and agriculture.
- Teaching in secondary and upper secondary schools

- Professional integration

Access to the labour market

Data from the university system in Catalonia

Contact us