Overview
The Master of Professional Science (MPS) in Climate and Society (CS) emphasizes the relationship between weather, climate and societal impacts. This program provides advanced training for individuals seeking careers in government, insurance, energy, and a number of other weather-impacted industries. Students in this track are fluent in both the fundamentals of business and the physical sciences
Admission Requirements
- Undergraduate degree in Meteorology, or closely related field (e.g. Math, Physics, or Geosciences)
Note to students: Deficiencies in the required courses may be considered on a case by case basis for otherwise highly qualified students.
Accepting applications for Fall 2020 admissions:
- July 25th, 2019 - July 20th, 2020 (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents)
- July 25th, 2019 - June 1st, 2020 (International Applicants)
Accepting applications for Spring 2021 admissions:
- Now until December 1st, 2020 (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents)
- Now until November 1st, 2020 (International Applicants)
An application to the MPS program consists of the following (fall & spring admissions only):
- Online CollegeNet application
- Transcripts from all past/present academic institutions (colleges and universities), including all study abroad and community colleges and, if applicable, a transcript evaluation report from an approved international credentialing agency (for non-U.S. academic institutions).
- Valid Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. NOTE: GRE requirement suspended for Fall 2020 admissions only due to COVID-19.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Valid TOEFL or IELTS scores (for international applicants)
- Personal statement (statement of purpose)
If admission to the MPS program is granted, it will be contingent upon receipt of all items listed above (including official transcripts and test scores) and the following for international applicants:
- Statement of Financial Responsibility Form (SFR) and corresponding bank letter
- Color copy of current visa (if available).
- Color copy of valid passport (must include picture page and barcode page)
Permanent Residents must provide a color copy of Permanent Resident Card (Green Card).
Previous graduate and undergraduate scholastic performance, work and volunteer experience, valid test scores (GRE, TOEFL/IELTS), and the letters of recommendation are all considered in evaluating an applicant.
Transcript from U.S. Academic Institutions:
Please make sure you possess the required undergraduate coursework and/or degree before applying. Official transcripts must be mailed or e-mailed directly from the relevant academic institution (Office of the Registrar) to the MPS office. Our email is mps@rsmas.miami.edu; mailing address is available on the MPS website’s Contact Us page. If an applicant is not able to submit an unofficial transcript with his/her application, the applicant may submit unofficial transcripts via email to mps@rsmas.miami.edu. Unofficial transcripts are accepted for review purposes only, not for admission. If admission to the MPS program is granted, it will be contingent upon receipt of all official records. Please be advised, official transcripts will only be accepted if they are sent to us directly from the academic institution. Transcripts sent by you or issued to you (even if they are in a sealed envelope) are not considered official.
Transcripts from Non-U.S. Academic Institutions:
All graduate applicants who received degrees or are currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program from a college or university outside the United States (except applicants to Law* and Nursing**) must submit official transcripts and diplomas (if available) from all colleges and universities to an approved international credentialing agency. Applicants attending a non-U.S. institution for non-credit must also submit academic records to an approved evaluation agency.
Transcripts in a language other than English must be provided in that language and must be accompanied by a certified English translation. International applicants must also submit a copy of his/her diploma in the official language of the country from which the degree was awarded and provide a certified English translation of the diploma. Submit these items to an approved international credentialing agency. Follow the specific instructions of the selected evaluation agency to request a course-by-course evaluation with degree equivalency and grade point average (GPA) calculation. Applicants must request that the evaluation report and copy of all the official documents used in the evaluation are sent directly from the approved evaluation agency to the MPS office mps@rsmas.miami.edu.
- Josef Silny & Associates (JS&A), Inc, International Education Consultants, is the preferred evaluation vendor for international applicants to the University of Miami due to their competitive prices and high-quality service. Click here for more information including the Application for Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials.
- Please note that international applicants are not required to use the services of JS&A. The international credential evaluation services of any approved vendor may be used. Click here to view a list of approved vendors.
- Please be sure the vendor sends your evaluation directly to mps@rsmas.miami.edu.
- Evaluation Fee - Applicants are responsible for the evaluation fee. Please note that failure to comply with these instructions may cause significant delays in the review and processing of your application, and therefore also significant delays in the processing of your I-20.
Letters of Recommendation:
Three (3) letters of recommendation are required for admissions consideration. Each applicant must request letters of recommendation from three (3) different references using the guidelines provided in the online application. Applications from CollegeNet may be submitted without letters of recommendation. However, an applicant’s file will not be reviewed by Track Leaders until all required admissions materials (including letters of recommendation) are received by the MPS office. Upon completion of the application, your references will receive an e-mail from CollegeNet, requesting the online submission of the required documentation (questionnaire + letter of recommendation).
Academic references are ideal and highly preferred, but we will accept letters from employers and/or supervisors. Please do not request letters from friends, family, ministers, or coaches. If your references have trouble using the online submission portal, they may e-mail their letters (signed and on letterhead) to the MPS office at mps@rsmas.miami.edu. We cannot accept letters that are not signed. Letters sent by the applicant or forwarded to the MPS office by the applicant will not be accepted.
GRE:
Due to COVID-19, the GRE requirement is suspended for Fall 2020 admissions only.
The MPS office must receive your official Graduate Record Examination test (GRE http://www.ets.org/gre) scores directly from ETS. Please use institution code 7690 (department code) when submitting your request with ETS. This code indicates delivery of test scores to the RSMAS campus, home of the MPS office.
A minimum, combined score of 297 (Verbal + Quantitative only) is required for admissions consideration. Applicants must also complete the Analytical Writing section of the GRE. However, the Analytical Writing score will not be calculated into your combined score, nor will it be used for tuition waiver eligibility. To learn about our merit-based partial tuition waivers, please visit our Financing Your Education page.
TOEFL/IELTS (for Non-native English Speakers):
To prove language proficiency, students must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
· Paper Based TOEFL (PBT) - minimum score is 550
· Internet Based TOEFL (IBT) - minimum score is 80
· IELTS (Academic) - minimum score is 6.5
Please use institution code 2919 (no department code). This institution code is for the TOEFL only; please note that the GRE institution code is different (see above).
If English is not your native language, the TOEFL/IELTS requirement may be waived if you hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an academic institution within the United States or from one of the following English-speaking countries:
· Antigua and Barbuda
· Australia
· Bahamas
· Barbados
· Belize
· Canada (except Quebec)
· Dominica
· Grenada
· Guyana
· Ireland
· Jamaica
· New Zealand
· Kitts and Nevis
· Lucia
· Vincent and the Grenadines
· Trinidad and Tobago
· United Kingdom
Intensive English Program (IEP)
The University of Miami’s Division of Continuing and International Education offers a fully-accredited Intensive English Program (IEP) to prepare individuals to understand and use English in a variety of academic, professional, and personal situations. Some of the services that IEP offers graduate students include an international teaching assistant training course, customized classes, LL.M. Intensive English, and volunteer opportunities.
Personal Statement (statement of purpose):
Please indicate your track of choice, and all relevant field, lab, and work experience (past and present) in your personal statement. Include your academic and professional goals, and how you envision the MPS program contributing to those goals. We strongly encourage you to include information and/or links to relevant publications, organizations, research projects, supervisors, collaborators, project results, and your role in relation to this.
MPS Mailing Address:
University of Miami
Rosenstiel School Campus, MPS Office, Room S/A 132
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, FL 33149
Email: mps@rsmas.miami.edu
Website: https://mps.rsmas.miami.edu/index.html
Phone: (305) 421-4340
Fax: (305) 421-4246
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ATM 651 | Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics | 3 |
| or ATM 614 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | |
| ATM 653 | Climate Change | 3 |
| MES 660 & MES 661 | Introduction to Marine Geographic Information Systems and Introduction to Marine Geographic Information Systems - Laboratory | 3 |
| GEG 648 | Climate Change and Public Health (or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| ATM 765 | General Circulation of the Atmosphere (or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| MES 662 | Intermediate Spatial Analysis (or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| RSM 620 | Climate and Society | 3 |
| ATM 805 | MPS Internship | 6 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Elective Options
Students may take any elective on the RSMAS campus with the consent of their faculty advisor. Below are a few examples of courses past students in this program used as electives.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACC 671 | Accounting for Decision Making | 2 |
| ATM 732 | Climate Dynamics | 3 |
| MES 720 | Coastal Law and Policy | 3 |
| MES 618 | Coastal Zone Management | 3 |
| ATM 663 | Mesoscale Meteorology and Severe Storms | 3 |
| MES 602 | Economics of Natural Resources | 3 |
| FIN 602 | Fundamentals of Finance | 3 |
| ATM 611 | Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I | 3 |
| MES 662 | Intermediate Spatial Analysis | 3 |
| MES 710 | International Ocean Law and Governance | 3 |
| MES 660 | Introduction to Marine Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| MGT 600 | Managing for Employee Engagement | 3 |
| ATM 633 | Atmospheric Boundary Layer | 3 |
| MES 616 | Ocean Policy and Development and Analysis | 3 |
Suggested Plan of Study
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| ATM 651 or 614 | Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics or Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 |
| ATM 653 | Climate Change | 3 |
| MES 660 & MES 661 | Introduction to Marine Geographic Information Systems and Introduction to Marine Geographic Information Systems - Laboratory 1 | 3 |
| GEG 648 | Climate Change and Public Health ( or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| ATM 765 | General Circulation of the Atmosphere ( or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| MES 662 | Intermediate Spatial Analysis ( or ELECTIVE) | 3 |
| RSM 620 | Climate and Society | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Summer | ||
| ATM 805 | MPS Internship (Enrollment in 2- 6 internship credits required during a student's time in MPS. Completion of less than 2 internship credits must be approved by MPS Director. Typically 2 semesters are needed to complete all aspects of the internship phase of MPS. ) | 6 |
| Credit Hours | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
| * | or Elective |
| 1 | Can be taken in Fall or Spring |
Mission
The mission of the Master of Professional Science (MPS) in Climate and Society (CS) is to draw on UM’s breadth and depth in interdisciplinary climatological and meteorological research, addressing risk management in the human health, fisheries, agriculture, water management, natural hazards, and coastal zone sectors. Faculty from RSMAS, Miller School of Medicine, and Geography contribute to the climate and society theme with their analysis of both climate trends and hazards, while faculty at the Schools of Law, Architecture, and the College of Engineering focus on the legal, material, and aesthetic aspects of the built environment that influence the mitigation of vulnerability and development of more resilient urban systems. Within this realm, students in the CS track understand important scientific and socioeconomic challenges, both in terms of urban planning and management of financial risks, resulting from natural and anthropogenic climate change, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.
Goals
The goal of the Climate and Society (CS) track is to provide students with an understanding of how social vulnerability, mitigation strategies, and adaptive capacity in the face of climate change are strongly mediated by legal, socioeconomic, policy, psychological, epidemiological and cultural factors, including housing and construction codes, environmental risk perception, and health management/delivery. Interdisciplinary studies provide students with advanced training in the analysis of both climate trends and hazards, and application of the legal, material, and aesthetic aspects of the built environment that influence the mitigation of vulnerability and development of more resilient urban systems.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to understand and assess financial consequences resulting from natural and anthropogenic climate change, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.
- Students will demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of field and lab work during their internships.
- Students will submit a written, final report and deliver a final presentation based on the work completed in their internship.
