Program Offerings
• Bachelor of science degree in Atmospheric and Environmental Science, BS
• Accelerated master’s degree in Atmospheric and Environmental Science, MS
(earn your bachelor’s and master’s in AES in five years)
• Master of science degree in Atmospheric and Environmental Science, MS
• Doctor of philosophy degree in Atmospheric and Environmental Science, PhD
• Minor in Atmospheric and Environmental Science
What is Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences?
Put simply, atmospheric and environmental science is the study of weather and climate. This field of study strives to study short-term weather patterns as well as long-term climate processes.
What does a Atmospheric and Environmental Scientist do?
With climate change impacting our planet daily, there is no better time, or more important time, to study our climate than now. And with our location in Black Hills, an area widely known for its unpredictable weather, there is no better place to study atmospheric and environmental science than at South Dakota Mines.
At Mines, you will study weather, climate, and the impact both have on the earth and its inhabitants.
Courses for this Degree
• Atmospheric Thermodynamics
• Synoptic Meteorology
• Atmospheric Dynamics
• Atmospheric Physics
• Global Environmental Change
• Radar Meteorology
• Air Quality
• The Wildfire Environment
• Atmospheric Chemistry
• Precipitation Physics and Cloud Modification
Course Curriculum
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Internships and Co-ops
On average, 77% of South Dakota Mines students have applicable work experience when they graduate, thanks to internships and co-ops. For these co-ops and internships, students receive an average salary of $20.00/hour.
Atmospheric and environmental science majors earn competitive internships at such places as:
• NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
• National Severe Storms Laboratory
• Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Rapid City National Weather Service.