Interested in studying atmospheric physics at LMU?

As an international student you can study atmospheric physics/ meteorology at the Faculty of Physics of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität. All master courses of the faculty are taught in English. The four-semester program "Master in Meteorology" consists of two semesters of more-in-depth lectures, lab courses and seminars and a subsequent two-semester Master's thesis. Studies can be started both in the winter and summer semester. In addition to this Master program a specialisation as part of the general Master in Physics is offered. Bachelor courses are also available, but taught in German.

Goals of the Atmospheric Physics Programs

The Master's students will acquire the following basic knowledge and abilities during their studies:

• Capability of thinking in physics concepts
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of and the interrelations in meteorology and atmospheric physics, its basic procedures and scientific methods, and, building on this knowledge, the ability to work autonomously,
• Ability to realize and assimilate recent developments, as well as to judge interdisciplinary meteorological questions.

The Master's students also develop skills in the handling of measurement equipment, as well as knowledge of measuring methods (both in-situ- and remote sensing methods). Mathematics and Physics are the prerequisite and basis for describing and understanding meteorological problems and interrelations. The major part of the courses in the Master's degree program is composed of the research areas of meteorology and atmospheric physics. Great importance is placed on the Practical Phase, which is followed by the phase of writing the Master's thesis. Studying meteorology and atmospheric physics also means to engage with many related sciences. Meteorology and atmospheric physics has an impact on almost all areas of life, and is therefore of great importance for life on earth.

Research Areas of Meteorology

Meteorology is the area of Physics that is concerned with atmospheric processes with regard to weather and climate. To study and understand atmospheric processes, thorough knowledge of several areas of Physics, especially of the fields of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and radiative transfer, is necessary. The field of meteorology and atmospheric physics is divided into Theoretical Meteorology, which is mathematically oriented, and Experimental Meteorology, which deals with the observation and interpretation of atmospheric processes.

The atmosphere, with land, ocean, ice and vegetation, is a complex system, which can be described by the laws of Physics. This system includes:

• Solar and terrestrial radiation as the most important impetus for atmospheric dynamics,
• Energy transformation in the atmosphere and on the ground,
• Interaction between the atmosphere and the earth's surface (land, ocean, ice and vegetation), typical patterns of motion in the atmosphere from the centimeter- to the global scale, orographically generated phenomena, turbulences and their interactions,
• Description and explanation of the climate in the past and present as well as forecasting the future climate,
• Anthropogenic impacts on the system of the atmosphere - biosphere, numerical simulation and forecasting of weather and climate including data assimilation and verification,
• Material cycles of micro-elements that are meteorologically significant and environmentally relevant, including water with dispersions, sources, depressions, transports, phase changes, chemical and photochemical reactions.

Course of studies and detail of enrollment

Detail on the course of studies can be found on the M.Sc. Meteorology website.