The Atmospheric Sciences Program is designed to provide students with a basic foundation in the physical principles, theory, methodological skills and applications central to the disciplines of meteorology and climatology. The program seeks to produce scholars and scientists able to perform academic research work of the highest quality.

At the PhD level, the program assumes that the majority of students will seek positions in academic or government research. The program also encourages students to take advantage of the wealth of university resources aimed at helping students explore their career options.