This page provides information on atmospheric science & meteorology degrees (Classification of Public Instruction—CIP—code 40.04) awarded across the US. Data was retreived from the publicly available Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS data are publicly available for download from https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data and through an interactive tool https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/builder/ipeds_c.

Definitions

Prior to 2010, race/ethnicity categories in IPEDS included:

  • White, non-Hispanic
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic
  • Asian, non-Hispanic
  • Black or African American, non-Hispanic
  • Other or unknown race or ethnicity, non-Hispanic

In 2010, the US Census Bureau introduced new racial categories, hence the numbers after 2010 are not directly comparable to those prior to 2010. The IPEDS database post-2010 classifications are limited to the following 9 categories:

  • White, non-Hispanic
  • Hispanic or Latino
  • American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic
  • Asian, non-Hispanic
  • Black or African American, non-Hispanic
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • Two or more races, non-Hispanic
  • Other or unknown race or ethnicity, non-Hispanic
  • Temporary visa holder

Following the definitions used by the American Geoscience Institute (AGI), here we define Historically Under-represented/Under-served (HUR/US) as “Hispanic or Latino”, “American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic”, “Black or African America, non-Hispanic”, and “Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander”.

We note that this is an underestimate of historically underrepresented populations, especially as some students identifying as two or more races or temporary visa holders may also be historically underrepresented.

IPEDS collects data for sex in male/female binary classifications only and no data is collected on other aspects of identity such as first-generation, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+, or socio-economic status.

Number of Atmospheric Science & Meteorology Degrees Granted

The following graph shows the number of institutions awarding degrees each year.

The top 10 total degree granting programs between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below

InstitutionsAvg. Degrees per Year
Bachelor1. Penn State
2. U. Oklahoma
3. Texas A&M – College Station
4. Florida State
5. North Carolina State
6. U. Missouri – Columbia
7. Valparaiso
8. Millersville
9. U. Wisconsin – Madison
10. Northern Illinois		52.9
35.8
26.2
25.9
22.0
20.7
19.8
18.1
16.2
16
Master 1. U. Oklahoma
2. Colorado State
3. Florida State
3. Naval Postgraduate School
5. Penn State
6. U. Michigan
7. U. Wisconsin – Madison
8. Texas A&M – College Station
9. UCLA
9. U. Maryland – College Park
9. U. Washington		15
14.2
13.7
13.7
11.5
10.9
10.4
9.3
7.8
7.8
7.8
PhD1. Colorado State
2. U. Washington
3. Penn State
4. U. Michigan
5. U. Oklahoma
6. U. Maryland – College Park
7. Texas A&M – College Station
8. Florida State
9. U. Wisconsin – Madison
10. UCLA		8.5
7.5
6.44
6.3
6.3
6
5.1
4.8
4.8
4.6
Top 10 institutions for total number of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded between 1997 and 2021.

Degrees Granted to Female Students

The top 10 programs granting degrees to female students between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below

InstitutionsAvg. Degrees per Year
Bachelor1. Penn State
2. U. Oklahoma
3. Texas A&M – College Station
4. Florida State
5. U. Missouri – Columbia
6. Valparaiso
7. North Carolina State
8. Embry-Riddle
8. Millersville
10. U. Wisconsin – Madison		15.6
11.6
10.6
9.2
7.9
7.6
7.2
6.0
6.0
5.8
Master 1. Colorado State
2. U. Michigan
3. U. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. Penn State
6. U. Wisconsin – Madison
7. UCLA
8. U. Maryland – College Park
9. U. Washington
10. Texas A&M – College Station		5.4
5.2
4.2
3.9
3.7
3.6
3.6
3.2
3
3
PhD1. U. Michigan
2. Colorado State
3. U. Washington
4. UCLA
5. U. Colorado
5. U. Maryland – College Park
7. Penn State
8. U. Oklahoma
9. U. Wisconsin – Madison
10. U. Illinois Urbana-Champaign		2.8
2.6
2.5
2.1
2.0
2.0
1.8
1.5
1.4
1.3
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to female students between 1997 and 2021.

Number of degrees can be dominated by the largest programs (see prior section). Here we display the top institutions by the percentage of degrees awarded by their program to female students. Institutions must have awarded at least 20 degrees to be included.

InstitutionsPercentage of Degrees
Bachelor1. Jackson State
2. U. Georgia
3. U. California – Berkeley
4. U. of the Incarnate Word
5. Florida Institute of Technology
6. UCLA
7. U. Michigan
8. U. Colorado
9. U. Miami
10. U. Maryland – College Park		57.7
45.8
45.7
45.5
44.6
44.2
43.5
43.3
42.3
40.8
Master 1. Howard U.
2. Princeton
3. U. California – Davis
4. U. Michigan
5. U. Colorado
6. UCLA
7. U. Alaska – Fairbanks
8. U. Hawaii – Manoa
9. Florida Institute of Technology
10. U. Arizona		54.2
51.9
51.2
48.2
46.7
45.9
45.8
44.7
43.6
42.5
PhD1. George Mason
2. Howard U.
3. U. Houston
4. U. Delaware
5. UCLA
6. Rutgers
7. Princeton
8. U. Michigan
9. U. Colorado
10. Cornell		56.3
53.8
52.1
50
46.6
46.4
46.0
44.3
44.1
42.9
Top 10 institutions for PERCENTAGE of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to female students between 1997 and 2021. Only programs awarding more than 20 total degrees between 1997 and 2021 are included.

Degrees Granted to HUR/US Students

Here we define Historically Under-represented/Under-served (HUR/US) as: Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic, Black or African America, non-Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The top 10 programs granting degrees to HUR/US students between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below

InstitutionsAvg. Degrees per Year
Bachelor1. Texas A&M – College Station
2. Florida State
3. Jackson State
4. Penn State
4. U. Oklahoma
6. North Carolina State
6. SUNY Maritime College
8. Embry-Riddle
8. UCLA
10. U. Incarnate Word		3.72
3.44
2.80
2.44
2.44
1.56
1.56
1.44
1.44
1.32
Master 1. Naval Postgraduate School
2. Colorado State
2. Howard U.
4. Florida State
4. Penn State
6. U. Michigan
7. U. Arizona
8. U. Alabama – Huntsville
8. U. Washington
10. Texas A&M – College Station
10. UCLA
10. U. Missouri – Columbia		1.36
0.84
0.84
0.68
0.68
0.52
0.44
0.4
0.4
0.36
0.36
0.36
PhD1. Howard U.
2. Colorado State
3. Florida State
3. U. Washington
5. U. Michigan
6. Penn State
7. U. Colorado
7. U. Nevada – Reno
7. U. Oklahoma
7. U. Utah
3.32
0.8
0.36
0.28
0.28
0.24
0.20
0.16
0.16
0.16
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to HUR/US students between 1997 and 2021.

The top 10 programs granting degrees to HUR/US students between 1997 and 2021 by percentage of total degrees awarded is shown the the table below.

InstitutionsPercent of Degrees
Bachelor1. Jackson State (78)
2. North Carolina A&T State (13)
3. U. Incarnate Word (55)
4. College of Charleston (13)
5. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (7)
6. East Carolina U. (29)
7. Indiana University (10)
8. San Jose State (120)
9. U. Miami (123)
10. U. California – San Diego (23)		89.7
76.9
60.0
46.2
42.9
24.1
20.0
19.2
17.9
17.4
Master 1. Howard U. (24)
2. Hampton U. (7)
3. Air Force Institute of Tech (24)
4. U. Houston (15)
5. U. Arizona (106)
6. Florida Institute of Tech (39)
7. Naval Postgraduate School (34)
8. U. Nevada – Reno (91)
9. U. Missouri – Columbia (103)
10 San Jose State (74)		87.5
42.9
40.9
20.0
10.4
10.3
9.9
8.8
8.7
8.1
PhD1. Howard U. (26)
2. Hampton U. (13)
3. U. Nevada – Reno (43)
4. U. North Dakota (11)
5. Naval Postgraduate School (23)
6. U. Alaska Fairbanks (29)
7. Florida State (107)
8. Saint Louis U. (34)
9. U. Utah (73)
10. Colorado State (187)		76.9
23.1
9.3
9.1
8.7
6.9
6.5
5.9
5.5
4.8
Top 10 institutions for PERCENTAGE of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to HUR/US students between 1997 and 2021. Total number of degrees awarded by the program (to all students) are shown in parenthesis next to the University name. Programs must have awarded more than 5 degrees to be included.

Degrees Granted to Hispanic or Latino Students

Hispanic or Latino students are the largest group in the historically under-represented and under-served student population (when defined only by race and ethnicity categories in IPEDS). However, the numbers are still extremely small. See Morales et al. 2023 for more detailed examination of these populations and suggestions for improvement.

The top 10 programs granting degrees to Hispanic or Latino students between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below. As average degrees per year are small for individual groups, here we provide the total number of degrees granted.

InstitutionsNumber of Degrees
Bachelor1. Texas A&M – College Station
2. Florida State
3. Penn State
4. U. Incarnate Word
5. UCLA
6. U. Oklahoma
7. SUNY Maritime College
7. U. Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
9. Embry-Riddle
10. San Jose State		81
56
32
30
29
27
26
26
24
21
Master 1. Colorado State
2. Naval Postgraduate School
3. Florida State
4. Penn State
5. U. Michigan
5. U. Washington
7. U. Arizona
7. UCLA
7. U. Hawaii at Manoa
7. U. Wisconsin – Madison		14
13
11
10
8
8
7
7
7
7
PhD1. Colorado State
1. Florida State
3. Penn State
3. U. Washington
5. Howard U.
5. U. Michigan
7. SUNY at Albany
7. U. Colorado
7. Maryland – College Park
7. U. Utah
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
3
3
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students between 1997 and 2021.

Degrees Granted to Black or African American Students

The top 10 programs granting degrees to Black or African American students between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below. As average degrees per year are small for individual groups, here we provide the total number of degrees granted.

InstitutionsNumber of Degrees
Bachelor1. Jackson State
2. Florida State
3. Penn State
4. North Carolina State
5. U. North Carolina – Charlotte
6. U. Oklahoma
7. SUNY Maritime College
8. Florida Institute of Technology
8. Texas A&M – College Station
10. Embry-Riddle
10. U. South Alabama		69
29
27
24
18
14
13
12
12
11
11
Master 1. Howard U.
2. Naval Postgraduate School
3. Penn State
4. Colorado State
4. U. Alabama – Huntsville
6. Florida State
6. U. Michigan
6. U. Missouri – Columbia
9. Texas A&M – College Station
9. U. Arizona
9. U. Nevada – Reno		19
15
7
6
6
5
5
5
3
3
3
PhD1. Howard U.
2. Hampton U.
3. Colorado State
3. U. Michigan
3. U. Oklahoma
3. U. Washington
+12 Universities 		16
3
2
2
2
2
1
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to Black or African American students between 1997 and 2021.

Degrees Granted to American Indian or Alaska Native Students

The top 10 programs granting degrees to American Indian or Alaska Native students between 1997 and 2021 are shown the the table below. As average degrees per year are small for individual groups, here we provide the total number of degrees granted.

InstitutionsNumber of Degrees
Bachelor1. U. Oklahoma
2. North Carolina State
2. U. South Alabama
4. U. Kansas
5. Central Michigan U.
5. Millersville
5. Penn State
5. U.S. Air Force Academy
5. UCLA
5. U. Hawaii at Manoa
5. U. Washington
5. Western Illinois		20
4
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Master 1. Naval Postgraduate School
2. Colorado State
2. Florida State
2. U. Alaska Fairbanks
2. U. Arizona
2. U. California – Davis
2. U. Colorado
2. U Oklahoma		6
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
PhD1. Colorado State
1. South Dakota School of Mines		1
1
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to American Indian or Alaska Native students between 1997 and 2021.

Degrees Granted to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Students

Degrees awarded to this group are the smallest numbers, with institutions awarding degrees shown in the table below.

InstitutionsNumber of Degrees
Bachelor1. San Jose State
1. U. Hawaii at Manoa
3. Metropolitan State U. of Denver
3. U. Washington
3. U. Wisconsin – Madison
3. Western Connecticut State		3
3
1
1
1
1
Master 1. Creighton
2. U. Nevada – Reno		1
1
PhD1. U. Alaska Fairbanks1
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students between 1997 and 2021.

Degrees Granted to Students Identifying as Two or More Races

Although students identifying in this group are not defined as under-represented by AGI, many students may still be and the group is growing rapidly. Data in this category is only available since 2010.

InstitutionsNumber of Degrees
Bachelor1. Virginia Tech
2. UCLA
3. U. Oklahoma
3. U. Washington
5. U. Hawaii at Manoa
6. Texas A&M U. – College Station
6. Penn State
8. Embry-Riddle
8. Florida State
10. Millersville
10. U. Illinois Urbana-Champaign
10. U. Utah		14
12
11
11
10
9
9
7
7
6
6
6
Master 1. U. Washington
2. Colorado State
3. U. Colorado Boulder
3. U. Oklahoma
5. Florida State
5. Howard U.
5. Naval Postgraduate School
5. Penn State
5. UCLA
5. U. Illinois Urbana-Champaign
5. U. Michigan
5. U. North Dakota
5. U. Wisconsin – Madison		5
4
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
PhD1. U. Colorado Boulder
2. South Dakota School of Mines
3. Colorado State
3. MIT
3. U. California – Davis
3. U. Maryland – College Park
3. U. Michigan
3. U. North Dakota
3. U. Oklahoma
3. U. Washington
3. U. Wyoming
3. Utah State		3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Top 10 institutions for NUMBER of atmospheric science/meteorology degrees awarded to students of Two or More Races, not hispanic between 2010 and 2021.