Applicants must satisfy the requirements for AMS Membership under Article III, Section 4 (A), 4 (B), or 4 (C) in order to be eligible to apply for the Seal of Approval.

The requirements for membership are as follows:

Article III, Section 4(A) a Bachelor's degree in meteorology or atmospheric science

Article III Section 4 (B) a Bachelor's degree in "other sciences and engineering" should be interpreted to include such fields as: geology, geodynamics, geophysics, volcanology, earth science, planetary science, astronomy, biology, ecology, statistics, physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, medical sciences, and geography. Consideration may be given to fields such as economics, psychology and social and political science if the candidate is working in an area that furthers the goals of the Society. All engineering including industrial, civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, engineering physics and systems should be considered. In general, a Bachelor of Science degree from a university that awards both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees would, in most cases, qualify a candidate for election to Member status in AMS. Arts and humanities are not included; therefore, degrees in English, literature, philosophy, languages, journalism, communications and business administration would not lead to eligibility for the grade of Member.

Seal applicants who qualify for membership under Article III Section 4 (B) must also have completed at least 12 semester credit hours in meteorology with 8 of the 12 credits in core classes (a minimum of 2 credits in each of 3 of the 5 core areas is required). See section 4 (C) for a description of the core areas.

Article III Section 4 (C) is intended to recognize individuals without a degree from an accredited institution but who have at least a minimal educational background in the underlying science and substantial experience in the field. Individuals accepted under this category must have at least 20 semester credit hours in meteorology with 12 of the 20 credits in core classes (a minimum of 2 credits in each of 4 of the 5 core areas is required). In addition, applicants must have 3 out of the last 5 years experience in the field. This requirement must be fulfilled by experience that requires independent analysis, interpretation and scientific judgement. It may not be fulfilled by experience that involves nothing more than routine observations or passing on information created by someone else.

The following criteria will be used to determine the types of courses which count towards the required 20 semester hours:

1. Courses in meteorology or atmospheric sciences, climatology, oceanography or hydrology which are part of a curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences at an accredited institution.

2. Courses in atmospheric or related sciences designed to fulfill a science elective requirement for a non-science major that are offered by a department of atmospheric or related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the entire course concerns atmospheric or related oceanic or hydrologic sciences.

3. Courses offered through a geography or earth sciences department when it is clear that they are science based and the entire course deals with the atmospheric or related oceanic and hydrologic sciences.

4. Correspondence courses that are accepted by accredited institutions toward a Bachelor of Science in the atmospheric or related oceanic and hydrologic sciences.

At least 12 of the 20 credits must be in areas of:

1. Atmospheric or Oceanographic Dynamics
2. Atmospheric or Oceanographic Thermodynamics
3. Physical Meteorology or Physical Oceanography
4. Synoptic Meteorology (or Weather Systems) or Synoptic Oceanography
5. Hydrology

A minimum of two credits in each of 4 of the 5 areas is required. These core courses must include basic processes relevant to atmospheric or oceanic systems. Thus, for instance, in the area of dynamics the fundamentals (the balance of forces for motions of the atmosphere or ocean) must be covered. Representation using calculus is desirable but not required, but such coverage must not be purely descriptive. Dynamics at the level covered in textbooks for survey courses (such as Atmospheric Science, An Introductory Survey by Wallace and Hobbs) is sufficient provided a significant portion (generally more than half) of the course covers topics in dynamics. Similar comments apply to other such specific areas mentioned in the core requirements.