Graduate Degrees
- Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Applied Climate
- Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Space Engineering
- Master of Science (M.S.) in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
M.Eng. in Applied Climate
The CLaSP M.Eng Program in Applied Climate combines theoretical and applied aspects of weather and climate with a significant design or monitoring project. This design ensures that students graduate with skills necessary for success as practicing engineers. The Program offers an interdisciplinary education at the nexus of Earth system science and engineering, with opportunities for breadth through courses in such areas as public policy, public health, or business. Students are allowed to structure their coursework to meet the needs of their individual areas of interest. Specific concentrations are suggested to assist students and their advisors with course planning.
Students will learn:
- Current tenets of climate science and practices useful for their continuing education in this evolving science;
- An engineering approach to managing the complexity of the Earth’s climate-related environment, its systems components, and a number of closely coupled internal subsystems including those involving human society;
- A set of tools and skills useful in practical engineering problem solving in team environments;
- Technologies of climate adaptation and associated mitigation strategies that minimize risks to commercial and government operations, and to their physical assets.
Areas of Study
Course concentrations will be defined through discussions between students and their program advisors to match the student’s career aspirations.
- Climatological and meteorological observing systems
- Emission inventory modeling principles, methods and practices
- Data analysis, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and processing tools
- Climate and Weather modeling
- The intersection of climate and water resources
- Integrated Assessment
M.Eng. in Space Engineering
The ClaSP M.Eng. program in Space Engineering combines strong emphasis on both theoretical and applied aspects with extensive hands-on experience at all levels. The program is designed to develop students into a new type of interdisciplinary engineer prepared for future managerial and systems engineering roles in space related industries and government agencies.
If you are interested in studying the scientific, engineering and management aspects of space engineering, this program, developed with the Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments, allows you to structure the program to your specific area of interest.
Program Objectives
- To provide a comprehensive knowledge of space science and engineering and their interrelationship.
- To increase depth beyond the baccalaureate level in a space-related discipline.
- To teach the systems approach to conceiving, designing, manufacturing, managing, and operating complex space systems.
- To provide practical experience in space system design, project development and management.
Program Concentrations
While your specific concentration curriculum will be decided through discussions with your program advisors, suggested programs have been developed in the following areas:
- Space Science Program
- Propulsion Program
- Plasma Electrodynamics and Sensors Program
- Instrumentation and Sensor Payloads Program
- Launch Vehicles Program
- Telemetry and Spacecraft Communications Program
- Astrodynamics Program
- Computer Control and Data Handling Program
M.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences
Applicants to the master’s program may have a bachelor’s degree in any field of study, but they are expected to have completed minimum requirements in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Normally this would include five semesters of mathematics, eight credit hours of physics including two laboratories, and five credit hours of chemistry. Thirty semester hours are required for the master’s degree, fifteen of which must be from the Department’s offerings. A minimum of four additional hours must be in mathematics and/or natural science.
Ph.D. in Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
Applicants for the doctoral program are expected to have the ability and scholarship of a high order in one of the following areas: atmospheric science, space and planetary physics, or geoscience and remote sensing. Doctoral students are expected to carry a course load of nine to twelve semester hours (three to four courses) each semester until the dissertation work is begun. There are no foreign language requirements. During the first year, students must select courses from among the core courses for their particular program. After the second year, students must pass a qualifying examination before they can be advanced to candidacy. After reaching candidate status, students will concentrate on a dissertation topic under the guidance of an advisor.
This program gives students the basic courses to allow them to specialize later in a broad range of sub-disciplines. Students are expected to learn the basic morphology of the atmosphere and the space environment, as well as the necessary physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
The most up-to-date information on the Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering graduate programs is available online on the Graduate Studies page.
Certificate in Climate Change Solutions
In the Climate Change Solutions Graduate Certificate Program, students will address the physical basis of changing climate, its impacts on humanity and justice, and be introduced to solutions. We welcome and encourage applications from students from wide-ranging academic programs across the University of Michigan.
This certificate program will:
- Train interdisciplinary students about the basics of climate change science and equip them to explore solutions needed to mitigate climate change and to adapt to future changes.
- Develop skills in graduates to think in a systems way about the causes and consequences of climate change and enable innovative approaches that focus on climate adaptation and resilience.
The program consists of 12 credit hours (three ‘core’ mandatory courses and the remainder of credits from an approved list of electives). The core courses establish a knowledge of climate science and the effects of warming on society, strategies for slowing and reversing the amount of warming that will be realized, and methods for responding to growing consequences of climate change. These three courses cross the formal framework of climate change, mitigation, and adaptation.
The Climate Change Solutions Graduate Certificate Program was developed in partnership between CLaSP and the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), and is designed for students already enrolled in a graduate degree program at the University of Michigan. Master’s or doctoral students from any field, CoE, SEAS, LSA and the professional schools, are welcome to apply.