Mississippi State University freshmen planning to graduate in broadcast meteorology may need to rethink their classes because of recent changes in the American Meteorological Society approval requirements.
Wayne Verno, director of MSU’s broadcast meteorology program and instructor in the department, said broadcast meteorology students at MSU can receive a seal of approval on their diploma from the National Weather Association and one from the American Meteorological Society. However, the society has recently changed their requirements to offer a new seal called the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal.
“The requirements for the AMS seal now includes a series of calculus courses as well as calculus-based meteorology courses,” Verno said. “Here the classes teach the calculus theories, but they deal more with applying the theories to weather forecasting. The AMS now requires that the courses be calculus based.”
The broadcast meteorology program at MSU differs from other schools because it is the only one that focuses on applying calculus theories to broadcast meteorology, Verno said.
Even though the change will result in the original AMS seal becoming obsolete, the change does not become effective until January 2008. Not all meteorologists have the AMS seal of approval, and current graduate students, seniors and juniors will all be able to obtain the original seal, Verno said.
He added that it will be more difficult for sophomores to receive it, and current freshmen will not qualify for the original AMS seal. However, students can still receive the NWA seal of approval.
Verno said that as of now, the geosciences department is not changing the curriculum to be calculus based.
“The general approach here was to be different from other schools (in making calculus applicable to broadcast meteorology),”” Verno said. “We could easily require students to take all of the calculus, but taking all those courses would take away from all the hands-on learning that we offer, which in the end would hurt our students.”
“We always encourage our students to take as much math as possible, but in the end, the hands-on experience they get here is much more useful to them in obtaining a job in broadcast meteorology,” he said. “We will promote our curriculum the way it is with the NWA seal, which still supports our program.”
The broadcast meteorology program at Mississippi State is among the top-ranked in the country, Verno said. It is also one of the few, if not the only university, that offers the master’s program in geosciences with an emphasis in broadcast meteorology.
Verno said he is unsure whether having the seal will make it harder to get jobs. He said many stations that require the AMS seal are not aware of the changes, and he does not know how they will react to the changes.
Many upperclassmen say they will not be swayed by the society’s changes.
Michael Craig, a senior in the program, said he still plans to obtain the original AMS seal.
“I think it’s kind of childish for the AMS to target one specific program to change when that program has always been excellent,” Craig said.
Senior Derek Kincaid said: “A large percentage of television weather people come from MSU. The actions the AMS is taking seek to discredit our program by not allowing MSU graduates to obtain a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal. But I am confident that once TV stations learn of the AMS’s intentions, they will ultimately side with MSU and continue to hire MSU graduates.”
Students not as close to graduation may feel more pressure though.
“It affects me greatly because I’m scheduled to graduate in May 2007, and the changes take place in January 2008,” sophomore Lauren Raymer said. “The AMS has targeted Mississippi State because we are different than other schools in that we are not calculus based. We focus on forecasting, how to work in front of a screen and how to appeal to your audiences while other schools focus on calculus. It’s not about how much of one class you have but how well you can communicate over the camera.”
While transferring schools is an option for Raymer, she plans on finishing her degree at Mississippi State.
“I’ve always set my mind up that I was going to be a broadcast meteorologist and no matter what way the AMS changes, I’ll work to fulfill that,” Raymer said.