Ranking of Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences, and Meteorology Graduate Schools

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Your Ranking of Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences, and Meteorology PhD Programs

Programs 1–30
RankProgramRegres QualitySurvey QualityStudent OutcomesJobs at GradDiversityStudentsFacultyStudent / Faculty
1-1University of California-San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography1-11-114-2592%*6-212382431.0
2-9University of California-Santa Cruz Ocean Sciences2-132-141-892%*1-527360.8
2-10University of Maryland Eastern Shore Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences2-1916-4512-35NA3-111191860.6
2-10University of Maryland-Baltimore Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences2-1916-4512-35NA3-111191860.6
2-10University of Maryland-Baltimore County Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences2-1916-4512-35NA3-111191860.6
2-12Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Chemical Oceanography3-135-228-3358%10-281411461.0
2-12Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Physical Oceanography3-135-228-3358%10-281411461.0
5-15University of Maryland-College Park Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences2-1916-4512-3575%3-111191860.6
2-14University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science6-2414-4217-42100%4-141191260.9
3-16University of Maryland-College Park Atmospheric and Oceanic Science2-92-115-2775%4-1448411.2
3-17University of California-Los Angeles Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences2-121-732-4685%4-1737182.1
3-18University of California-Santa Barbara Marine Science5-222-156-3392%*12-3036470.8
5-19University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences5-243-151-1675%8-2731560.6
6-19University of Washington-Seattle Campus Atmospheric Sciences6-181-1312-3688%36-4561451.4
7-21University of Wisconsin-Madison Limnology and Marine Science6-191-114-2485%25-4112200.6
RankProgramRegres QualitySurvey QualityStudent OutcomesJobs at GradDiversityStudentsFacultyStudent / Faculty
11-23University of Washington-Seattle Campus Oceanography7-2111-3420-4388%7-2873770.9
11-23Princeton University Atmospheric and Oceanic Science5-187-221-1483%17-3611170.6
12-26Stony Brook University Marine and Atmospheric Sciences4-229-2916-4077%1-386422.0
14-28Colorado State University Atmospheric Science3-181-94-2282%37-4748124.0
15-31Oregon State University Oceanography9-3911-3425-4592%*23-3940880.5
17-31Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Oceanography and Coastal Sciences14-3217-436-3192%*9-2643590.7
15-33University of Colorado at Boulder Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences9-287-2811-4089%8-2442281.5
16-34University of Georgia Marine Sciences11-368-305-31NA4-1630231.3
19-37Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus Meteorology10-284-185-2557%43-4939460.8
17-37Rutgers University-New Brunswick Oceanography13-4110-3613-3992%*5-1925270.9
19-37University of Hawaii at Manoa Oceanography18-3912-4021-4592%*17-3747361.3
18-38University of South Florida-Main Campus Marine Science7-3518-455-30NA2-971282.5
20-37College of William and Mary Marine Science17-3622-4714-3992%*18-3573551.3
20-42University of Arizona Atmospheric Sciences7-4411-3823-4492%*21-3813200.7
23-41University of Delaware Marine Studies18-4019-4618-38100%15-3557381.5

Item Descriptions

Rank
A range indicating how this program ranked in 500 simulated rankings based on your priorities. Programs are sorted by their median rank. Learn more.
NRC regression-based quality measure (Regres Quality)
The NRC's measurements of overall program quality are based on 20 key variables (19 in the humanities) such as GRE scores, student support and faculty publications. To calculate the regression-based quality measure, the relative importance, or weight, of a variable was set by the extent that it correlated with programs viewed most favorably by evaluators in each field. Learn more. Your weight = 3. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
NRC survey-based quality measure (Survey Quality)
The NRC's measurements of overall program quality are based on 20 key variables (19 in the humanities) such as GRE scores, student support and faculty publications. To calculate the survey-based quality measure, evaluators in each field identified the variables that they considered to be the most important indicators of program quality. Learn more. Your weight = 5. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
Student support and outcomes (Student Outcomes)
This variable is a composite of other measures of student support and outcomes, including 6-year or 8-year graduation rates (for non-humanities programs and humanities programs, respectively), time to degree, job placement within academia, percentage of first-year students with full financial support, and whether a program collects data about the employment outcomes of its graduates. The relative importance of these variables was determined by the direct assessments of some 50 faculty in each field. Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
Placement Rate (Jobs at Grad)
This variable shows the percentage of students with definite plans at graduation (either a job or a postdoctoral position), based on data from the student questionnaire. Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (Source: SED, 2000–2004)
Diversity in the academic environment (Diversity)
This variable shows a composite measure of diversity generated by the National Research Council. It includes data on percent of faculty and students from underrepresented minorities, percent of female faculty and students, and percent of international faculty and students. The relative importance of these variables was determined by the direct assessments of some 50 faculty in each field. Your weight = 1. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
Total students (Students)
This variable shows the total number of doctoral students enrolled in the program in fall 2005 as reported in the program questionnaire. Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
Total Faculty (Faculty)
This variable reports the total number of faculty participating in the program. Your weight = 2. Larger values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)
Grad Student / Faculty Ratio (Student / Faculty)
This variable shows the number of graduate students per faculty member in the program. Your weight = -1. Smaller values are better. (Source: NRC, 2010)

Data Sources

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
IPEDS is an annual, comprehensive set of surveys of all colleges and universities in the United States. The surveys are conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.   Learn more
National Research Council
The National Research Council conducts periodic assessments of doctoral programs in the United States. Our data comes from the most recent assessment in 2010.   Learn more
Survey of Earned Doctorates
The NSF/NIH/NEH/USED/USDA/NASA Survey of Earned Doctorates is an annual survey of all new recipients of doctorates from US universities at graduation. The average of the response rates for the 2000–2004 surveys was 92%.   Learn more
Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering
The Survey is an annual assessment of the number and characteristics of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in science, engineering, and health-related fields It is conducted by the National Science Foundation.   Learn more
* Value is missing. The value shown is based on the average for other programs in the same field. Learn more.

The graduate school rankings on PhDs.org have been made possible by grants from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
The National Postdoctoral Association and The Center for Science and the Media have served as the project's fiscal sponsors.