Program Overview

University of Reading Department of Meteorology

The Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading offers a range of programs for students interested in pursuing a career in meteorology.

Undergraduate Programs

• Undergraduate courses
• Why study a degree with us?
• How you'll study
• Department life for undergraduates

Master's Programs

• Master's courses
• Why study a master's with us?
• How you'll study as a master's student
• Preparation for our master's courses
• Department life for master's students

PhD Programs

• PhD opportunities
• Why study a PhD with us?
• PhD fees and funding
  • PhD scholarships
• How we support PhD students
• Department life for PhD students
• How to apply for a PhD

Online Courses

• Premium Online Courses
  • Fundamentals of Meteorology
  • Statistics for Weather and Climate Science
  • Tropical Meteorology
  • Climate Services and Climate Impact Modelling
• Open courses

Fundamentals of Meteorology Course

The Fundamentals of Meteorology course is delivered by Dr. Hilary Weller and runs from October to December each year. The course covers theoretical concepts, including:

• Thermodynamics: first law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic processes, and potential temperature
• Atmospheric moisture: mixing ratio, dew point temperature, relative humidity, and the impact on atmospheric stability
• Dynamics: forces acting on air parcels, pressure gradient force, Coriolis force, drag, forces in balance: hydrostatic, geostrophic, and gradient wind
• Analysis of atmospheric state using a tephigram
• Temperature gradient effects: thermal wind balance and thermal advection
• Calculations using divergence and vorticity

The course consists of ten assignments with model answers and requires approximately 8 hours of study per week over 10 weeks.

Timetabled Sessions for 2025

The taught content is pre-recorded, with live sessions available for help with the content and assignments:

• 1 October 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 8 October 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 15 October 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 22 October 2025, 12:00–13:00
• 29 October 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 12 November 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 19 November 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 26 November 2025, 12:00–13:00
• 3 December 2025, 13:00–14:00
• 10 December 2025, 13:00–14:00

Prerequisites

The course requires a working knowledge of A-level Maths, including:

• Integration and differentiation
• Trigonometry
• Vectors
• Exponentials and logarithms
• Quantities and units in mechanics
• Kinematics
• Forces and Newton's laws Some background knowledge of weather, such as successful completion of the FutureLearn course Come Rain or Shine: Understanding the Weather, is also recommended.

Research

The Department of Meteorology is part of the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences and has connections with related departments, including:

• Computer Science
• Mathematics and Statistics