From Master's to MetService

In 2018, eight students became the first-ever graduates from the only Master of Meteorology programme in the country, run by the University and MetService.

The programme sees students employed full time by MetService, learning academic and theoretical diagnostic and forecasting skills at the University and then implementing those skills in MetService’s state-of-the-art teaching laboratory.

Graduates Ashlee Parkes and Lewis Ferris valued the combination of the practical and theoretical.

“I have always wondered what makes the weather behave the way it does,” Lewis says. “When I heard that Victoria University of Wellington offered a Master’s programme with a practical component, I knew what career I had to pursue. The instructors were very knowledgeable and the small class size meant we progressed really fast.”

“I always wanted to work in applied physics, but there aren’t many opportunities to do that,” Ashlee says. “Working while I studied made me more passionate about the topic and kept me looking forward to a career in the field.”

“Victoria University of Wellington has a long-standing record of providing teaching and research opportunities in meteorology,” says Dr Jim McGregor, programme director for Meteorology. “By partnering with MetService, we can offer a Master’s degree that provides the depth of knowledge and understanding that a modern meteorologist needs.”

As well as employing the students during their studies, MetService also covered all fees from the programme. All eight students are now employed there full time.

You can find out more about this programme by visiting the Master of Meteorology programme page.