Meteorology and Climate

Meteorology and climate science address the physical processes that determine the behaviour of the atmosphere, from the weather systems we experience day to day to the long-term patterns of climate that shape ecosystems, economies, and human societies. As climate change accelerates and its consequences become more urgent, the ability to understand, model, and predict atmospheric behaviour has become one of the most important scientific challenges of our time. This is a discipline that combines mathematics, physics, and computational science with an applied focus that connects directly to policy, agriculture, disaster management, and environmental planning.

At Reading, the UK's only dedicated meteorology department, this three-year full-time programme gives you access to world-leading expertise in atmospheric science. A foundation year is available for students who need additional preparation before entering the main degree. You will study atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, the global climate system, numerical weather prediction, and the science of climate change, including questions around ozone depletion and long-term atmospheric change.

A sandwich year and work placement are built into the programme, giving you professional experience in meteorological or climate-related settings before you graduate. The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points.

Graduates from meteorology and climate programmes enter careers in weather forecasting at the Met Office and other national meteorological services, in climate modelling at research institutions and universities, in environmental consulting, and in the growing range of private sector roles where weather and climate data matter, from energy and insurance to logistics and agriculture. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate research in atmospheric science, oceanography, or climate change, contributing to the scientific work that underpins global climate policy.