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BSc Meteorology and Oceanography ( FF97 )

UCAS Course Code:
FF97
Duration:
3 years
Attendance:
Full Time
Award:
Degree of Bachelor of Science
School of Study:
Environmental Sciences
Brochure:
School of Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Brochure (PDF)
Typical A-Level Offer:
ABB (including A level Mathematics)

The University of East Anglia in Norwich is currently the only place in the UK where it is possible to study for a combined degree in Meteorology and Oceanography. We are the only university to teach these two specialist subjects side by side. Four year options incorporating a Year in Europe, North America, Australasia or in Industry are available.

The degree programme is designed to provide an insight into how the atmosphere and oceans work and interact. This approach gives students a detailed understanding of the Earth's climate system. Because the degree programme is taught within the School of Environmental Sciences the student will have an opportunity to choose from a range of course options, enabling either a wide portfolio or specialisation. The course also considers the impact of human society on the atmospheric and oceanic systems. The Meteorology and Oceanography programme uses mathematical techniques as the main tool of investigation and the students receive teaching and support from the School of Mathematics at UEA. Two week-long fieldcourses in Oceanography and Meteorology provide all students with valuable hands-on experience designing experiments and working with scientific instrumentation.

The BSc in Meteorology and Oceanography benefits from our own in-house weather forecasting company, "WeatherQuest", providing valuable teaching support. All students on the degree programme are invited to spend a week working with WeatherQuest in order to gain commercial awareness of the meteorological industry. Many of our Meteorology and Oceanography students have gained valuable experience on research cruises whilst conducting the fieldwork for their final year project.

Graduates of the programme have gone on to work for the British Antarctic Survey, the UK Meteorological Office, WeatherQuest and a variety of universities.

Study Meteorology and Oceanography at UEA and find out the answers to the following questions and many more...

  • How has the climate changed since the last ice age?
  • How is human society affected by climate change?
  • What factors determine the Earth's climate?
  • How do humans pollute the atmosphere?
  • What is acid rain?
  • How will sea-level rise affect coastal areas?
  • What forces generate tides?
  • How much pollution can the ocean withstand?
  • Can the deep ocean support life?
  • How do clouds form?
  • What drives the circulation of the atmosphere and oceans?
  • What is El Nino?
  • What is a frontal system?
  • Why does it rain?
  • Can the weather be predicted?
  • What happens during a thunderstorm?
  • What is a hurricane?
  • What are the solid features of the ocean?
  • How does seawater differ from freshwater?

Field Course Options

Field courses and practical classes are an integral part of training our meteorology and oceanography students. You will be introduced to the problems of studying these unique aspects of the planet and learn a variety of practical techniques using specialist equipment through the field courses available.


Prof Karen Heywood

Why choose usEnvironmental science is a rapidly progressing, vibrant and exciting field of study with excellent career prospects in the UK and beyond.

Environmental Science is a modern scientific discipline that will have a profound effect on human society as environmental concerns become paramount at the beginning of the 21st century.

A human population of over 6 billion demands energy, transport, and technology, while climate change threatens the security of the most vulnerable peoples on the planet. Management of pollution and waste is essential to protect human health. Global environment change is eroding the planets biological diversity. Natural hazards threaten infrequent but catastrophic disasters.

Solving these urgent problems requires the expertise of trained environmental scientists. In ENV you will be trained to understand the complex interactions of human society with the bio-geosphere and to provide solutions for enhanced industry and sustainable economies. Inter-disciplinary scientists are needed to communicate the solutions and influence policy at local, national and global scales.

Volcanology, seismology, ecology, conservation, meteorology, oceanography, environmental economics, environmental politics, geochemistry, soil science, climate change and energy resources are just a few of the subjects you could study. Whether you choose to study a broad range of the environmental sciences or specialise in one field, you can be sure that your degree will be challenging and inspiring from beginning to end.

In the 2012 National Student Survey, the School of Environmental Sciences at UEA gained a 96% satisfaction rate, putting the department at joint 5th in the UK, above universities like Southampton and Exeter. Teaching was a particular highlight of the survey, and as a School, Environmental Sciences came in joint 2nd with a rating of 97% satisfaction.

UniStats Information

Compulsory Study (100 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 100 credits:

Name Code Credits
ATMOSPHERE AND OCEAN ENV-1A56 10
DYNAMIC EARTH ENV-1A67 10
FORCES OF NATURE ENV-1A25 10
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES ENV-1A29 20
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS 1 ENV-1A61 10
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS II ENV-1A62 10
MECHANICS AND MODELLING MTH-1C32 10
RESEARCH & FIELD SKILLS 1 ENV-1A41 10
RESEARCH & FIELD SKILLS 2 ENV-1A42K 10

Option A Study (10 credits)

Students will select 10 credits from the following modules:

Name Code Credits
EARTH'S CHEMICAL PROCESSES 1 ENV-1A32 10
EARTH'S CHEMICAL PROCESSES II ENV-1A34 10

Option B Study (10 credits)

Students will select 10 credits from the following modules:

Name Code Credits
PROBABILITY MTH-1C34 10
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIETY ENV-1A28 10

Compulsory Study (100 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 100 credits:

Name Code Credits
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS III ENV-2A21 20
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS IV ENV-2A22 20
METEOROLOGY I ENV-2A23 20
OCEAN CIRCULATION ENV-2A39 20
WAVES, TIDES AND SHALLOW WATER PROCESSES ENV-2A40 20

Option A Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following modules:

Name Code Credits
METEOROLOGY II ENV-2A24 20
METEOROLOGY II WITH FIELDCOURSE ENV-2A24K 20

Compulsory Study (40 credits)

Students must study the following modules for 40 credits:

Name Code Credits
INDEPENDENT PROJECT ENV-3A91 40

Option A Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following modules:

Name Code Credits
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: MEASUREMENT AND MODELLING ENV-3A80 20
BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE ECOLOGY ENV-3A15 20
DYNAMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY MTH-3E48 20
EARTH AND LIFE ENV-3A38 20
FREE SURFACE FLOWS MTH-3D77 20
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ENV-3A20 20
MODELLING ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES ENV-3A11 20
PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY ENV-3A58 20
POLLUTION, TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY ENV-3A08 20
THE CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE CHANGE ENV-3A31 20

Option B Study (20 credits)

Students will select 20 credits from the following modules:

Name Code Credits
ALGEBRA MTH-2C3Y 20
ANALYSIS MTH-2C1Y 20
AQUATIC ECOLOGY ENV-2A01 20
AQUATIC ECOLOGY (CW) ENV-2A01C 20
ASTROPHYSICS WITH ADVANCED TOPICS SCI-2E01 10
ASYMPTOTIC ANALYSIS MTH-3E37 20
ASYMPTOTIC ANALYSIS (CW) MTH-3E37C 20
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND GLOBAL CHANGE ENV-2A37 20
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND GLOBAL CHANGE ENV-2A37 20
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND GLOBAL CHANGE (CW) ENV-2A37C 20
ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: MEASUREMENT AND MODELLING ENV-3A80 20
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND HUMAN SOCIETY ENV-3A17 20
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND HUMAN SOCIETY (CW) ENV-3A17C 20
BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE ECOLOGY ENV-3A15 20
BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE ECOLOGY ENV-3A15C 20
CATCHMENT WATER RESOURCES ENV-3A60 20
CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY ENV-2A45 20
CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY ENV-2A45 20
CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (CW) ENV-2A45C 20
CLIMATE CHANGE HISTORY, ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE (CW) ENV-2A09C 20
CLIMATE CHANGE: PHYSICAL SCIENCE BASIS ENV-3A49 20
CLIMATE CHANGE: PHYSICAL SCIENCE BASIS ENV-3A51 20
CLIMATE CHANGE: SCIENCE AND POLICY ENV-2A09 20
COMBINATORICS MTH-2G40 10
CRYPTOGRAPHY MTH-2G27 10
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS MTH-2C41 10
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS (CW ONLY) MTH-2C41C 10
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND ALGORITHMS MTH-2C4Y 20
DYNAMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY MTH-3E48 20
EARTH AND LIFE ENV-3A38 20
EARTH SCIENCE FIELD SKILLS ENV-2A98K 10
EARTH SCIENCE SKILLS ENV-2A96 10
EARTH SYSTEM GEOCHEMISTRY ENV-2A30 20
EARTH SYSTEM GEOCHEMISTRY ENV-2A30 20
EARTHQUAKE AND VOLCANIC HAZARDS ENV-3A04 20
EARTHQUAKE AND VOLCANIC HAZARDS WITH FIELDCOURSE ENV-3A04K 20
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM MTH-3E74 20
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS ENV-2B52 10
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY ENV-2A92 10
ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY MAKING ENV-2A06 20
FIELD COURSE TO EAST AFRICA ENV-3A55K 20
FLUIDS AND SOLIDS MTH-2C2Y 20
FOSSIL FUELS ENV-3A33 20
FREE SURFACE FLOWS MTH-3D77 20
Fossil Fuel (CW) ENV-3A33C 20
GALOIS THEORY MTH-3E21 20
GEODYNAMICS: EARTH'S ENGINE ENV-2A43 20
GEODYNAMICS: EARTH'S ENGINE (CW) ENV-2A43C 20
GEOSCIENCES FIELDCOURSE ENV-3A57K 20
GEOSCIENCES FIELDCOURSE: GREECE ENV-3A77K 20
GIS SKILLS FOR DISSERTATIONS ENV-2A94 10
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ENV-3A20 20
GRAPH THEORY MTH-3E23 20
HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS MTH-3D71 20
HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS (CW) MTH-3D71C 20
HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY ENV-2A65 20
HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY (CW) ENV-2A65C 20
Human Geography of Climate Change ENV-3A40 20
INDEPENDENT PROJECT ENV-3A91 40
INTERACTIONS AND POPULATIONS ENV-2A35 20
INTERACTIONS AND POPULATIONS (CW) ENV-2A35C 20
INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL PHYSICS SCI-2P19 10
LOW CARBON ENERGY ENV-2A82 20
LOW CARBON ENERGY WITH FIELDCOURSE ENV-2A82K 20
MARINE SCIENCES FIELDCOURSE ENV-2A47K 20
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING MTH-2G47 10
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS III ENV-2A21 20
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS III (CW) ENV-2A21C 20
MATHEMATICS FOR SCIENTISTS IV ENV-2A22 20
MATHEMATICS MINIPROJECT MTH-2M01 10
MATHEMATICS MINIPROJECT MTH-2M02 10
METEOROLOGY ENV-2A23C 20
METEOROLOGY I ENV-2A23 20
METEOROLOGY II ENV-2A24 20
METEOROLOGY II WITH FIELDCOURSE ENV-2A24K 20
MODELLING ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES ENV-3A11 20
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS ENV-3A44 20
NATURAL SCIENCES YEAR IN AUSTRALASIA SCI-2Y4Y 120
NATURAL SCIENCES YEAR IN EUROPE SCI-2Y2Y 120
NATURAL SCIENCES YEAR IN INDUSTRY SCI-2Y3Y 120
NATURAL SCIENCES YEAR IN NORTH AMERICA SCI-2Y1Y 120
NUMBER THEORY MTH-3E56 20
OCEAN CIRCULATION ENV-2A39 20
OCEAN CIRCULATION (CW) ENV-2A39C 20
PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY ENV-3A58 20
PARTICIPATORY ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING ENV-3A54 20
PHYSICS OF MUSIC SCI-2P15 10
POLLUTION, TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY ENV-3A08 20
QUANTUM MECHANICS MTH-2G50 10
RESEARCH SKILLS FOR SOCIAL SCIENTISTS ENV-2A90 10
SEDIMENTOLOGY ENV-2A25 20
SEDIMENTOLOGY (CW) ENV-2A25C 20
SET THEORY MTH-3E18 20
SOIL ENVIRONMENTS AND PROCESSES (CW) ENV-2A27C 20
SOIL PROCESSES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ENV-2A27 20
SOLID EARTH GEOPHYSICS ENV-2A12 20
SOLID EARTH GEOPHYSICS WITH FIELDCOURSE ENV-2A12K 20
STATISTICAL MECHANICS MTH-3E64 20
THE CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE CHANGE ENV-3A31 20
THE CARBON CYCLE AND CLIMATE CHANGE (CW) ENV-3A31C 20
THE LEARNING & TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS MTH-3T01 10
THEORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ENV-3A63 20
THEORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (CW) ENV-3A63C 20
WAVES, TIDES AND SHALLOW WATER PROCESSES ENV-2A40 20
YEAR ABROAD IN EUROPE ENV-2Y2Y 120
YEAR ABROAD IN NORTH AMERICA ENV-2Y1Y 120
YEAR IN AUSTRALASIA ENV-2Y4Y 120
YEAR IN AUSTRALIA MTH-3X4Y 120
YEAR IN INDUSTRY ENV-2Y5Y 100
YEAR IN NORTH AMERICA MTH-3X3Y 120

Free Choice Study (20 credits)

Students will select modules worth 20 credits from the course catalogue with the approval of their School

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

Entry Requirements

A Level:
ABB (including A level Mathematics)
International Baccalaureate:
32 (incl 3 HL subjects at grade 5, to inc HL Maths)
Scottish Highers:
AABBB (including Maths)
Scottish Advanced Highers:
ABB (including Maths)
Irish Leaving Certificate:
AABBBB (including Maths)
Access Course:
See below
European Baccalaureate:
75% overall (including Maths)

Students for whom English is a Foreign language

We welcome applications from students from all academic backgrounds. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading). Recognised English Language qualifications include:

  • IELTS: 6. overall (minimum 5.5 in any component)
  • TOEFL: Internet-based score of 78 overall (minimum 20 in Speaking component, 17 in Writing and Listening components and 18 in Reading components.
  • PTE: 55 overall (minimum 51 in any component).

If you do not meet the University's entry requirements, our INTO Language Learning Centre offers a range of university preparation courses to help you develop the high level of academic and English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.

Interviews

The majority of candidates will not be called for an interview. However, for some students an interview will be requested. These are normally quite informal and generally cover topics such as your current studies, reasons for choosing the course and your personal interests and extra-curricular activities.

Gap Year

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year, believing that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry and may wish to contact the appropriate Admissions Office directly to discuss this further.

Special Entry Requirements

A level Mathematics or equivalent.

Intakes

The School's annual intake is in September of each year.

Alternative Qualifications

We encourage you to apply if you have alternative qualifications equivalent to our stated entry requirement. Please contact us for further information.

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 36 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 9 credits at Level 3, including 12 Level 3 Maths credits.

GCSE Offer

Students are required to have Mathematics and English at minimum of Grade C or above at GCSE Level.

Fees and Funding

University Fees and Financial Support: UK/EU Students

Further information on fees and funding for 2012 can be found here

International Students

The Meteorology and Oceanography courses have 1 £1,000 year one scholarship available for 2013 entry.  The Scholarship deadline is 15th January 2013.  Please contact the Admissions office at env.ug.admiss@uea.ac.uk for more information.

The University offers around £1 million of Scholarships each year to support International students in their studies. Scholarships are normally awarded to students on the basis of academic merit and are usually for the duration of the period of study.

Please click here to access further information about scholarships available to international students.

Further Information

Further information on fees and funding can be found here.


Applications need to be made via the Universities Colleges and Admissions Services (UCAS), using the UCAS Apply option.

UCAS Apply is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time Undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom. It is made up of different sections that you need to complete. Your application does not have to be completed all at once. The system allows you to leave a section partially completed so you can return to it later and add to or edit any information you have entered. Once your application is complete, it must be sent to UCAS so that they can process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.

The UCAS code name and number for the University of East Anglia is EANGL E14.

Further Information

If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances with the Admissions Office prior to applying please do contact us:

Undergraduate Admissions Office (Environmental Sciences)
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk

Please click here to register your details online via our Online Enquiry Form.

International candidates are also actively encouraged to access the University's International section of our website.