These links have been assembled over time since 2005, and in some cases the links have aged off or the information has changed. This page is not actively curated, but when I look here to refresh my memory and notice something outdated, I usually fix it. Caveat emptor! -M. Parker
Embedded Files
Schedule of advising appointments
Beyond the MY major:
Beyond the MY major:
If you intend to go to graduate school, you should take Physics 2 (PY208): many grad schools require this!
If you intend to go into the NWS, you should take Physics 2 (PY208), Mesoscale (MEA444), and Remote Sensing (MEA511). These courses are required for federal civil service!
Most frequently used links (opens a new page)
Most frequently used links (opens a new page)
The MEAS jobs and internships listings
Google Drive folder of documents from MEAS (checklists, program data, D wall info, etc.)
Forms from Registration and Records
Course catalog (search) or Course catalog (verbose listing)
8-semester plan for the MY major
List of minors and requirements at NCSU
Info about the NCSU Meteorology Minor
Info for current NCSU graduate students
Info for prospective NCSU undergraduate students
Info for job seekers in meteorology
Useful information for NCSU undergraduates
Useful information for NCSU undergraduates
Full time vs. part time:
A student must generally be enrolled in 12 credit hours to be considered full time. The biggest issues with being "part time" are:
Health insurance. If a student is on his/her parents' health insurance, he/she most likely must be a full-time student.
Financial aid. Most forms of financial aid (including scholarships) require a student to be full time. The student should check the rules on their particular financial aid to make sure that they meet the minimum requirements for it.
Important caveats:
For most forms of financial aid, the student must specifically have 12 credits that count toward completion of their degree (i.e. check something off on the degree audit). Additional credits generally do not pose an issue (as long as at least 12 credits advance the requirements of a student's declared major or minor). There are a few exceptions (notably, VA bill benefits) in which all credits taken must satisfy a requirement, but this is more rare. The student should check the rules for their financial aid.
In their final semester, the university considers students to be full-time with less than 12 credit hours as long as they are completing their degree requirements. Most, but not all, kinds of health insurance and financial aid follow this rule. The student needs to check the specific details of their program(s). Students should check because some forms of financial aid may be pro-rated. The student should again check the rules for their financial aid.
There may be occasions when it is advantageous for a student to take fewer than 12 credits. But, it is not straightforward to drop below 12 credits in the middle of a semester if one was originally registered as full time. One must generally be a "declared part time student" in order to take fewer than 12 credits (apart from in the final semester as noted above).
Graduation requirements:
Residency: Students must complete at least 25% of credit hours required for graduation at NC State, and they must have earned at least 30 of the last 45 credit hours at NC State.
GPA: NC State requires all students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate.
Transfer credits (e.g. courses taken on another campus during the summer):
Use the Transfer Equivalencies Tool linked at the top of this page to determine whether a course will transfer in as equivalent to NCSU's course number. If the course is not listed on Admission's transfer course equivalency page, the student will need to talk with the relevant department here at NCSU to see if they feel that the transfer course will be equivalent. It could just be that no one has ever tried to transfer that course before. In that case, the NCSU department will have to make the decision of whether it will transfer in and what the appropriate course number would be. The safest bet is simply to choose a course that is already listed on the transfer course equivalency page.
D-wall:
For degree requirements from F21 onward:
A grade of C- or better is required in CH 101; ENG 101; MA 141,241; MEA 217,312, 315, 321, 412, 421, 422; and PY 205.
For degree requirements prior to F21:
1. Grade of C- or better in CH 101, ENG 101, MA 141, MA 241, MEA 421, and MEA 422, and PY 205
2. No more than one D (including D+ or D-) will be accepted in MEA or Approved Elective courses. No more than one additional D will be accepted in other math or science courses.
Course repeats:
Undergraduates may repeat a course for credit once (without permission) if the previous attempt was completed with a grade of D+ or less. Students must have permission from the Dean of their respective college to attempt a course for credit more than twice. The intention of this change is to limit the number of unsuccessful course attempts by providing an opportunity for intervention to prevent further negative impacts to a student's GPA. See policy.
Grade exclusions:
Undergraduate students may select up to two NC State courses with posted letter grades of C- or below to be excluded from calculation of their cumulative grade point average. Once a grade exclusion is applied to a course, the grade points and the credit hours attempted and earned on the course will be removed from the calculation of the cumulative grade point average and from the calculation of the total hours attempted. See policy.
Credit overloads:
In order to take more than 18 credits in a semester, the student needs to fill out a Course Load Waiver, which can be found on the Registration & Records website under Forms. The advisor then needs to sign it before the student turns it in to Registration & Records. They will then allow the student to register for more than 18 credit hours.
Approved electives:
Students may count up to 6 hours of appropriate coursework in Aerospace Studies (ROTC), Communications, Education, or Policy toward their Approved Electives. The remaining hours of Approved Electives must be in a mathematical or scientific discipline. ROTC, Communications, and Policy courses may not be used as Restricted or Advised Electives.
Internships and independent studies:
How do students find out about internships? Announcements are sent to Connie Hockaday. She has an e-mail distribution list and sends them to all of our undergrads. Another option is the SCAMS list, but that is only a subset. The only way students miss out is if the email address that is on Connie's list is outdated/incorrect. As well, the SCAMS holds an "internship" meeting each fall, where past intern holders tell newer students about opportunities, experiences, and application tips. Students should always make a point to attend that meeting if they hope to land a good one.
How do students get course credit for internships or research experiences? MEA498 is the internship course, and should be used for all types of internships. MEA493 should be used for independent studies (IS). In order to be added to the roster of these courses: a) the student must complete and sign a Non-Standard Course Agreement Form (your advisor will need to prepare some additional course descriptions to accompany this form, example here); and, b) the form must be submitted to the MEAS undergraduate coordinator (presently, Dr. Carrie Thomas) who will verify the information and complete the enrollment. It is common to actually register for the MEA493/498 credits after the internship/IS has been completed (especially for summer internships). But, the agreed-upon activities needed for credit (documented in the Non-Standard Course Agreement Form) must be agreed upon ahead of time.
Can internships be used for graded credits toward completing the requirements for the MY major? Neither the 493 nor 498 courses can be taken for graded credits (with the exception being when 493 is a traditional class that does not yet have a course number; in such instances, the course number is always followed by a letter, e.g. "493T"). The meteorology faculty strongly advise students to complete all of their Restricted and Advised Electives using graded, classroom courses. However, it is permissible to count 498 (not 493) toward the credits needed for Restricted/Advised Electives in the Meteorology major (even though the credits from 498 are S/U, rather than graded). This has been treated somewhat differently by different advisors over the years; the current interpretation of the rules follows from discussions with Maggie Puryear in February and May 2012, based upon the information in the course action form for MEA498.
For how many internship/IS credits should the student register? Generally, the answer is 1 credit. Every advisor has a different set of standards. Before signing up for the course, the student should discuss the expectations for getting the desired number of credits, so he/she will be able to register for the correct number of credit hours. As of Fall 2019, Dr. Parker's current policy: For 1 credit: 1) Participate in at least 40 accumulated hours of effort at the direction of the internship employer. Satisfactory completion of the 40 hours of effort must be certified by a letter from the student’s internship supervisor sent to the student’s academic advisor. 2) The student must submit a 2-page reflective essay to his/her academic advisor after the completion of the internship. The contents of this essay must address the course goals/learning outcomes in the Non-Standard Course Agreement Form. The student’s academic advisor will grade this essay and meet with the student to discuss it. 3) The certification letter and 2-page essay must be received by the student’s academic advisor, and the subsequent in-person discussion of the essay must take place, prior to the end of the final exam period for the semester in which credit is sought. For a more than 1 credit: More hours of effort (roughly 40 hours per credit) will need to be completed and documented. In addition, more extensive academic components will need to be included, and this must be discussed and agreed upon with both the academic advisor and the supervisor of the internship/IS ahead of time, not afterward.
More on the NWS internship course: This internship requires an application and interview process. Many students who want to do this internship will not actually be able to. So:
1. Students should not use this course on their plan of work... they should expect not to get it and plan accordingly. If/when a student is accepted into the program, he/she can revise the plan of work accordingly.
2. Along these lines, students should not register for the NWS Internship Course at the time that they register for their other courses. They should register for a normal semester. If/when they are accepted into the program, they can then perform the drop/add to update their schedules.
Having a declared Minor:
Declaring a Minor:
1. Student completes the "Declare a Minor" form (see link to forms from Registration and Records at top of this page).
2. Student obtains the signature of the minor advisor to add the minor.
3. Student returns the form to Registration and Records for processing.
4. The student's minor will be added as a plan on the student's MyPack Portal.
Graduating With a Minor:
1. Assuming the student has previously declared their minor, the student will want to apply for the minor when applying for graduation in their major(s).
2. After registration, but prior to first day of a student's last semester prior to graduation the student will need to complete a North Carolina State University Application for Minor Certification with their minor advisor. Once signed off at the departmental levle, this form will be submitted to the College Graduation Coordinator and utilized by the College to clear the student in their minor.
3. The College Graduation Coordinator will clear the minors within their college through graduation approval in SIS and the minor will post on their transcript with their degrees.
Add/drop a course after the deadline:
The student will need to complete a Schedule Revision Form, which can be obtained from Connie Hockaday in the Student Services Office, 1113 Jordan. The instructor, advisor, Director of Undergraduate Programs and Dean will need to agree to this change, before it is implemented. If the addition of this course puts the student's credit hours over 18, another form, Course Load Waiver, will also have to be filed. If dropping this course puts the student below 12 credit hours, he/she should be aware that this may adversely affect financial aid, insurance, eligibility for on-campus housing or satisfactory progress toward completion of degree.
Taking courses "credit only" (S/U grading):
It is true that NCSU regulations give each undergraduate degree student the option to count towards graduation requirements a maximum of 12 semester hours in the category of credit-only courses (exclusive of Physical Education and other courses authorized to be graded on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis). But, the selected courses can be included only under the free elective category of the specific curriculum in which the student is enrolled. The Meteorology major does not have any free electives. Thus, our majors may not take credit-only courses to satisfy graduation requirements except for Physical Education and other courses authorized to be graded S/U. The relevant policy is found here.
Completing general education requirements (GER):
We have seen some problems lately with students taking Humanities/Social Sciences courses that do not count toward the GER. Not all humanities courses count in these categories! You need to access your degree audit/plan of work and click on the link provided for each GER category in order to obtain a list of courses that satisfy that requirement. Only those courses count toward satisfying your degree requirements!
Completing foreign language requirements:
Many students transfer in high school credit, which appears as FLS100 and satisfies the requirement. However, students who need to take foreign FLS102 to met their degree requirements shold be made aware that 102 is the 2nd half of a two semester sequence. They must first take FLS101 (and thus need to plan ahead). The other alternative is to take FLS110, which is an accelerated course (combining the content of 101 and 102 into one semester); this is obviously more challenging, but is a way to satisfy the requirement at NCSU in one semester. The foreign language requirement cannot be fulfilled with courses taken for credit-only. Students must take them for a grade. "High school French/Spanish/etc.", listed as FL* 100, does indeed satisfy this requirement. Look under group 04 (English/Communication).
Broadcasting:
We recommend doing an internship at a TV station and getting involved in Carolina Week. In addition, we recommend the following coursework at UNC:
JOMC 21 Writing for the Electronic Media (3). Analysis of broadcast journalism; theory and practice in communicating news in oral and visual modes.
JOMC 120 Introduction to Video Production and Editing (3). Prerequisites, JOMC 21 and permission of instructor. Introduction to video production, with close attention to refining creative and technical skills while preparing professional-quality video segments.
JOMC 121 Electronic Journalism (3). Examination and application of in-depth broadcast news reporting techniques, especially investigative reporting, special events coverage and the documentary. Students videotape and produce radio and television programs of actual news events.
JOMC 122 Producing Television News (3). Students work under faculty guidance to produce "Carolina Week," a television news program, and are responsible for all production tasks: producing, reporting, anchoring, directing and graphics.
Note: To take a course at UNC, the student needs to complete the Inter-Institutional Registration form, which can be found on the Registration & Records website under "Forms". The form must be signed by a number of people, in order: 1) Advisor, 2) Dean of PAMS in Cox Hall (as long as the secretary is present the signature can be obtained), 3) Registrar's office in Harris Hall. From there they take the form and contact the student with further information.
Changes to student's degree audit:
Occasionally a student needs to move a course from one category to another on their degree audit. To make changes to a student's degree audit, email a list of the changes to Maggie Puryear, and she will make them. After the student has taken the course, he or she cannot make the changes. Some of the requirements (such as the approved electives) always have to be manually inserted.
Honors/Scholars program:
Students take courses with the "H" suffix to satisfy 15 credits' worth of their requirements. These are courses that are already part of the curriculum... the student simply takes the honors section of the courses.
Departmental honors:
https://meas.sciences.ncsu.edu/undergraduate/programs/honors-program/
Students are invited into this program based on sophomore/junior GPA. To complete the Honors program, students must graduate with an overall GPA of 3.4 or better and complete a minimum of 9 hours of Honors work that includes 3 to 6 hours of independent study and the remainder in Honors credits.
Students identify the research discipline/topic as well as the MEAS faculty they would like to work with for their independent study.
The credits are obtained in MEA493-001. Students need to speak with their academic advisor and research mentor to decide in which semester to enroll, and to agree on the scope. Enrollment requires a non-standard course agreement. Once completed, this is submitted to the DUP/Carrie Thomas.
The completion of the research should culminate in a written report, and one of the following options: an oral presentation in the department, a poster presentation at the NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, or a presentation at a professional meeting.
The remaining honors credits are obtained as follows.
Honors sections of certain regular MEA undergraduate courses are offered on occasion (but rare). Undergrad honors courses may also be taken outside of the department subject to the approval of the Honors Director.
Students can also enter into a honors contract with the instructor of an upper division course. This is student-initiated and must be agreed to with the instructor of that course. Follow instructions for completion and submission of the following contract: https://honors.dasa.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2020/08/Student_Initiated_Honors_Contract.pdf. Make sure to check the box indicating that this contract fulfills a Disciplinary Honors Requirement.
Otherwise, honors credits can be obtained via Advanced courses, which include all 500-level MEA courses (many meteorology students use MEA511 Remote Sensing). Advanced courses in other departments may be taken subject to the approval of the Honors Director.
There is no penalty if a student joins the honors program but does not complete the program.
Advising is done by the student’s academic faculty advisor. This program is coordinated by Carrie Thomas. Refer questions to her.
Major GPA:
Students may wish/need to determine their major GPA. This is found under the degree audit in My Pack Portal, using the link "Academic Totals".
"Signing" a student into a course:
If a student wishes to take a course and cannot enroll via the online system (usually due to pre-req issues), the student may request to be added to the course manually (assuming the concerns can be resolved). The normal procedure is to contact the instructor, and have them forward their approval to Connie Hockaday, who can then override the pre-req and add the student into the section. In the special case of an undergrad who wants to take a 700-level course, the procedure is to ask Connie to add a section of 593 (special topics) under the instructor's name, and to enroll the student in that. Undergrads can never be put into 700-level classes, so the procedure is to have them attend the 700 class but receive credit under the 593.
Audits:
The regulations regarding auditing courses are linked here. Previously students could choose to audit in My Pack Portal during the enrollment period. Now, the action requires approvals from their advisors and the departments offering the courses. For MEAS undergraduates, department approval should be sought from the instructor. For courses offered in other departments, the student should ask the instructor who the appropriate contact is for approval. The Audit Request form is available via the link to forms from Registration and Records found at the top of this page.
Changing majors:
Generally, when you are changing majors you have to meet with the department you are planning on transferring into to determine which courses will count. Within MyPack you can set up an intended degree, so that you can see the new degree audit and which courses will automatically count. As far as finding a major goes, we strongly suggest you use the career and counseling centers to help you choose. They have tests, such as What Color is your Parachute, to help you determine your aptitudes and personality matches. They can help you narrow down the choices on the NCSU major site. We also emphasize this isn't something to rush into. You would be wise to take a semester to schedule some appointments with other departments and take one or two classes in a different area to help you decide. If you wish to change majors because you are struggling, one final note is that most programs on campus have a minimum GPA requirement for transfer that is in the 2.5-2.7 range, so you should work diligently to get your GPA up.
Study abroad for Meteorology majors:
This can be somewhat difficult to arrange for upper division students. What I have learned is collected at this link.
Can't find the answer above? Try Dr. Thomas's FAQs.
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