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• The M.Sc. degree requires a minimum of 45 credits, up to a maximum of 51 credits.
• The program includes from 9 to 27 credits of coursework and the remainder are thesis credits (depending on the student's background).
• Master's students with no previous background in atmospheric or oceanic sciences or related fields generally take 21 course credits spread over two semesters (September鈥揇ecember and January鈥揂pril).
• Students with a suitable background, such as a strong B.Sc. in atmospheric science, or a Diploma in Meteorology, may be given permission by the Graduate Program Director or Department Chair to take fewer course credits (as few as 9 course credits).

Note: This is the default option chosen by the majority of students entering the program.

REQUIRED COURSES

Thesis Component (24 credits)

ATOC 691听Master's Thesis Literature Review (3 credits)
ATOC 692听Master's Thesis Research 1(6听credits)
ATOC 694听Master's Thesis Progress Report and Seminar (3 credits)
ATOC 699听Master's Thesis听(12听credits)

听

COMPLEMENTARY COURSES听

Must complete or have completed 7 of the following complementary 3-credit courses or equivalent (21 credits)

ATOC 512听Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics听(3 credits)
ATOC 513听Waves and Stability听(3 credits)
ATOC 515听Turbulence in Atmospheric and Oceans听(3 credits)
ATOC 519听Advances in Chemistry of Atmospheric听(3 credits)
ATOC 521听Cloud Physics听(3 credits)
ATOC 525听Atmospheric Radiation听(3 credits)
ATOC 530听Paleoclimate Dynamics听(3 credits)
ATOC 531听Dynamics of Current Climates听(3 credits)
ATOC 540听Synoptic Meteorology 1听(3 credits)
ATOC 541听Synoptic Meteorology 2听(3 credits)
ATOC 548听Mesoscale Meteorology听(3 credits)
ATOC 568听Ocean Physics听(3 credits)
ATOC 557听Research Methods: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (3 credits)
ATOC 626听Atmospheric/Oceanic Remote Sensing听(3 credits)

CHEM 519听Advances in Chemistry of Atmosphere听(3 credits)听

Note: Students may select either ATOC 519 or CHEM 519.听Or other courses at the 500 level or higher recommended by the Department鈥檚 Graduate Program Director.

SEMINAR PARTICIPATION

Students registered in M.Sc. programs are expected to regularly attend the Department seminar series during their second year in the program.

All M.Sc. 2 students are also required to attend one of the Student Seminar series, ATOC 751 or ATOC 752, even though they are not registered for these seminar courses. M.Sc. 2 students are required to register for ATOC 694 (Master鈥檚 Thesis Progress Report and Seminar) in either the Fall or Winter, and must present a seminar for the Student Seminar series in order to satisfy the seminar component of ATOC 694.

The formal procedure for choosing a supervisor for M.Sc. thesis research begins in December, near the end of the first Fall term of the M.Sc. program. At that time, a set of research topics prepared by the faculty is circulated to all the M.Sc. 1 students.

Normally, these topics are related to the material presented by each professor in ATOC 550, which is taken in the Fall term of the M.Sc. 1 year. However, not all faculty members submit a research topic annually. It is advisable that all M.Sc. 1 year students discuss their research interests with the department鈥檚 faculty members prior to receiving this set of research topics in December.

Each student chooses up to three research topics (in ranked order) and consults the professors about their choices. At the start of the Winter term, each student sits for an interview with a committee of two to three professors. The student must present a justification for their choice of research topics and report whether they have received a confirmation of supervision from the professors associated with each topic.

Most students receive their first choice of research topic. However, in the case of conflict, i.e., two students choosing the same topic as their first choice, the interview committee determines, based on various factors, including the academic performance of the student in the topics of their choice, and the availability of faculty members, which student is better suited for research on the topic. The other student will be assigned their second choice of research topic. Students then nominally begin their thesis research in late April or early May of their first year.

Note: If an entering M.Sc. student already has an agreement to work with a particular supervisor on a topic of mutual interest, the student would not participate in the formal selection process, and may begin research with their supervisor prior to May of their first year (if they have the appropriate background).

Refer to the 鈥淩egulations Concerning Theses鈥� section of the 9I制作厂免费 eCalendar .

Purpose of the Thesis

A thesis for the master's degree, while not necessarily requiring an exhaustive review of work in the particular field of study, or a great deal of original scholarship, must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate the ability to carry out research and to organize results, all of which must be presented using appropriate scientific writing.

Scope

The thesis should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject matter. It should define the problem clearly, give an adequate summary of previous work, explain the methods used, and present the results. Details should be sufficient to enable a researcher outside the particular area of specialization to comprehend the approach and the significance of the work, and to reproduce it if desired. The thesis should not normally exceed 100 pages.

Originality

Although it is not required that the M.Sc. thesis contain a great deal of original scholarship, some originality is expected. This might consist of extending the application of an existing method or theory, of comparing several such methods or theories, or of giving a new interpretation to concepts already established. While it is not a degree requirement that the thesis be of publishable quality, it is very much in the student鈥檚 and the supervisor鈥檚 interest to strive, after the thesis is submitted, to prepare a paper based on the thesis for submission to a refereed journal.

Research Schedule

For students who have completed their course requirements, the total time devoted to the thesis work should be about 12 to 14 months, two or three of which are needed to write the thesis and have it read and commented on by the supervisor. For example, students completing the course requirements at the end of April of the M.Sc. 1 year, and starting their research in early May, should submit their theses preferably by the end of April, and no later than the end of June of the M.Sc. 2 year.

The minimum course requirements are given below.

REQUIRED COURSES (1 credit)

ATOC 700听Ph.D. Proposal Seminar (1 credit)

ATOC 700 consists of a written proposal and an oral presentation (approximately 30 minutes in length) followed by an examination before a committee of at least three professors (four if the student is co-supervised), consisting of the student鈥檚 supervisor(s) as well as at least two other full-time AOS faculty members designated by the Department鈥檚 Chair.听

This examination is intended to assess the candidate's preparedness for undertaking original research in a particular subject area and it should be taken 6 to 12 months after passing ATOC 701.

The student must submit a written thesis proposal of about 20 pages (typewritten, double-spaced) to the ATOC 700 examination committee at least one week before the date of the oral presentation. This proposal should define the problem to be discussed, demonstrate that the candidate is familiar with the literature, describe the methodology to be used, present some preliminary results, and outline future work.

The oral presentation can be given as part of the ATOC 751 or 752 seminar series (see complementary courses below), or at a specially scheduled seminar open to the students and faculty of AOS. Following the question period after the presentation, the candidate will be questioned further by the examination committee in absence of an audience.

听ATOC 701听Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) (0 credit)

ATOC 701 is an oral examination typically taken by the end of the student鈥檚 third term in the Ph.D. program (counting only Fall and Winter terms).
听

Example timelines:

You entered the PhD听program in听	You need to take the ATOC 701 by
Fall term	End of the following Fall term
Winter term	End of the following Winter term

The purpose of ATOC 701 is to assess both the breadth and depth of knowledge in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. The exam committee comprises two AOS professors, neither of whom may be the supervisor or co-supervisor of the student taking the exam. The AOS department Chair assigns the exam committee.

For the breadth portion of the exam: Students are expected to answer questions on topics in atmospheric sciences, climate dynamics, and/or physical oceanography at a level akin to that which a TA might use for first or second-year undergraduate students. The department provides a list of sample questions published in advance. Students and committee members should meet beforehand to discuss adherence to this list. For example, they may decide to base the breadth questioning on specified reading material, which should be documented (e.g., in an email to the student and both committee members).

For the in-depth portion of the exam: Students can choose two of the following broad topical areas:

• Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
• Climate
• Ocean, Ice and Atmosphere Dynamics
• Weather

Notes:

¹ A student will select two topical areas and may indicate within each, one to two subtopics of particular interest, when providing the information to the Chair.

² Another topical area of direct relevance to atmospheric and oceanic sciences may be substituted for one of the above only in special cases and only with the approval of the Graduate Program Director or the Chair.

³ The Chair will nominate the exam committee members. Once the exam committee has been formed, the student should meet with the examiners to discuss and agree about which subtopics will be focused on and what material should be studied in preparation of the depth part of the exam. Those meetings should take place weeks to months ahead of the exam. It is the student鈥檚 responsibility to organize those meetings.

The department will provide a list of sample questions for the broad topical areas and a selection of related subtopics. Examples of subtopics are (not exhaustive): Cloud Physics or Atmospheric Chemistry within 鈥淎tmospheric Chemistry and Physics鈥�; Ocean Dynamics or Atmospheric Dynamics within 鈥淥cean, Ice and Atmosphere Dynamics鈥�; Extratropical Cyclones or Remote Sensing or Mesoscale Meteorology within 鈥淲eather鈥�; Radiation and Climate or Polar Climate within 鈥淐limate鈥�.

The typical exam length is 1.5鈥�2 hours. The exam is graded (pass or fail) by the consensus of the two examiners. Supervisors and co-supervisors may attend the exam as observers and can provide context in the subsequent discussion but do not grade the exam.

After the examination, whether a student passes or fails, feedback will be given to the student by the examiners in a face-to-face meeting. Written communication about the outcome of the exam (i.e. an email) will be sent to the student, the supervisor(s) and the Graduate Program Coordinater. The GPC will record the outcome in the myProgress system. If the candidate fails the examination, a grade of HH (which designates 鈥淐ontinuing鈥�) is assigned and she/he/they may take the Comprehensive (General) examination a second time, within a minimum of four months and a maximum of six months. A second failure, however, requires withdrawal from the Ph.D. program (see also ).

Steps for comprehensive exam scheduling and preparation

The examination will usually take place in the last four months of the Ph.D. 2 year, but other times are possible, and the student is responsible for initiating the exam scheduling process. In case of questions, the GPC or the GPD can be consulted. The following steps should be followed (by students) to initiate the process for taking the ATOC 701 鈥� Comprehensive exam.

1. Familiarize yourself with the information above about the comprehensive exam.
2. Consider an approximate date range for when you would like to take the exam. It should be at minimum 1 month in the future, but it is better to plan the exam several months in advance. Typically, the suggested date range for scheduling the exam should be 2 weeks or longer. The actual exam date scheduling will be done later.
3. If not already done, please register for ATOC 701 Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) (0 credit) in the appropriate term. If you have questions concerning the term in which you should add this course to your registration, please contact the GPC (graduateinfo.aos [at] mcgill.ca).
4. Select two of the four broad topical areas listed above and consider specific subtopics of interest within each. You may wish to discuss your selection with your supervisor(s).
5. Communicate the information from steps 2) and 4) to the AOS Chair and the GPC by email.
6. The Chair will consider the information provided and nominate two appropriate examiners. The names of the two examiners will be communicated by email to the student and GPC.
7. The student may consult the members of the exam committee for advice on how to best prepare for the examination and to discuss particular subtopics within the depths part and material for the preparation of the breadth as well as the depth parts.
8. The student can contact the GPC or GPD to get access to a list of sample questions to help with the exam preparation.
9. A student may wish to organize one or more practice sessions for the comprehensive exam with classmates and/or with more senior Ph.D. students. If so, AOS staff will be happy to book the room for your practice session.
10. The GPC will coordinate with the student and exam committee to schedule the date and time of the exam and the booking of an appropriate exam room.

COMPLEMENTARY COURSES (7 credits)

ATOC 751 D1/D2听Seminar: Physical Meteorology (1 credit)
OR
ATOC 752 D1/D2听Atmospheric, Oceanic & Climate Dynamics Seminar (1 credit)

Note: The remaining 6 credits are chosen from the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, at the 500 or 600 level (see course descriptions), as approved by the research supervisor and the Graduate Program Director (GPD).听

• A Supervisory Committee will be selected after the Ph.D. Comprehensive (General) examination, usually on the basis of consultations between the student, the supervisor, prospective members of the committee and the Department Chair.
• This Committee should consist of听at least one full-time 9I制作厂免费 faculty member in addition to the supervisor(s). Committee members are typically professors in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; however professors in other 9I制作厂免费 departments may also be appropriate in some cases.
• The role of the Supervisory Committee is to assist the Ph.D. student in the advancement of his/her research and thesis, and to evaluate and report on progress.
• The primary responsibility for carrying out the research project rests with the student.

9I制作厂免费 requires annual tracking of doctoral students鈥� progress toward the degree. The Graduate Student Research Progress Tracking Form is to be used during face-to-face meetings between the doctoral student, supervisor, and at least one other departmental representative.

At least annually, there must be a progress tracking meeting at which objectives for the upcoming year are established and prior progress recorded and evaluated. For doctoral students whose committees have already been formed, a member of the supervisory committee or a representative from the academic unit must also attend.

PROCEDURES:

• At the first annual progress reporting meeting (to be held shortly after doctoral students begin their programs), written objectives/expectations for the year must be recorded in the OBJECTIVES box on page 1 of the form. Those attending the meeting鈥攖he student, the supervisor, and, in the case of Ph.D. students whose committees have been formed, a member of the supervisory committee or a representative from the academic unit鈥攎ust sign the form on page 3.
• Subsequently, the student and supervisor(s), and a member of the supervisory committee or a representative from the academic unit, must meet annually to review the progress that has been achieved toward the recorded objectives. Prior to these meetings, the student should record his/her accomplishments and progress for the year by completing the PROGRESS box on page 1 of the form. This completed form is then evaluated by the committee (i.e., supervisor and the member of the supervisory committee or a representative from the academic unit) on page 2 of the form. All parties sign the form on page 3. At this same meeting, objectives for the following year should be recorded in the OBJECTIVES box on page 1 of the same form.
• This form may also be supplemented with unit-specific details or documents (see page 2 of the form).
• If progress is judged unsatisfactory, a follow-up progress tracking meeting must occur not sooner than 4 months and not later than 6 months after the first report. A deadline for the follow-up meeting must be indicated on page 2 of the form.
• Two unsatisfactory reports (not necessarily successive) constitute unsatisfactory progress towards the degree and, if recommended by the academic unit, the student will be withdrawn from the University.
• The Graduate Program Director must review and sign all Progress Tracking Reports. If the Graduate Program Director is the supervisor, the Chair's signature is required.鈥�
• It is the graduate student鈥檚 responsibility to properly complete these forms throughout the duration of their Ph.D. degree.听

鈥婲辞迟别: In cases where the student has missed an established progress report deadline and has not responded to the unit within 4 weeks after being contacted by the academic unit, the report may be completed in the student鈥檚 absence, and progress may be judged unsatisfactory.