Master in Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Science - SOAC

The International Masters in Ocean, Atmosphere and Climate Sciences (SOAC) provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to work in the field of ocean, atmosphere and climate sciences.

Objectives

  • Provide the next generation of scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills in Physics, Chemistry, and Mechanics needed to understand the fundamental processes involved in small-scale and large-scale processes in the atmosphere and the oceans.
  • Enable students to gain an understanding of the interactions between these processes and how they influence climate change.
  • Explain how climate change, in turn, modifies these processes.
  • Familiarize students with various measurement techniques used in observing the atmosphere, oceans, and climate.
  • Highlight the essential role of observation in our modeling of the atmosphere, oceans, and climate.

Programme

This international master's programme is taught entirely in English, in partnership with the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.  Some courses are offered on the campus of the campus of Ecully (Centrale Lyon) and others on the campus of La Doua (Lyon 1). It is supported by 3 major international research laboratories, the LMFA, the ILM and the IRCELyon.

M1

• Mathematics
• Chemical kinetics
• Fluid Mechanics
• Atmospheric Physics 
• Climate Physics 
• Fundamentals of Spectrometry
• Introduction to Meteorology and Oceanography
• Geographical Information Systems
• + 2 electives to chosen
• Numerical Methods and computing
• Research projet (3 months)
• Languages

M2 parcours
« Ocean Sciences »
• Physics of water
• Atmosphere-Ocean interactions
• Ocean and coastal engineering
• Teledetection
• Oceanography
• Atmospheric Boundary Layer
• Hydrology & Hydrogeology
• Applied engineering statistics
• FLE/Languages
• Physics of Turbulence
• Project
• Research project or Internship (6 months)
M2 parcours
« Atmospheric Sciences »

• Atmospheric Chemistry II
• Atmospheric Physics II
• Atmospheric observations & metrology
• Atmospheric Boundary Layer
• Atmospheric Pollution 
• Environmental Legislation
• Environmental Hazards
• Applied engineering statistics
• FLE/Languages
• Physics of Turbulence
• Project
• Research project or Internship (6 months)

M2 parcours
« Climate Sciences »
• Atmospheric Physics II
• Atmosphere-Ocean interactions
• Radiative transfer
• Atmospheric Boundary Layer 
• Climate change & geo-engineering
• Teledetection or Big Data
• Applied engineering statistics 
• FLE/Languages
• Physics of Turbulence 
• Project
• Research project or Internship (6 months)
 

Dual Registration
Engineering students from the Ecole Centrale Lyon (Ecully), in the final year of the Engineering degree programme, can enrol in the second year of this master’s programme. They will follow most of the masters courses, and can replace some of the Engineering degree courses with course from the Master.

Career paths

  • Research & development – PhD, academic sector, research centres  (about 50% of graduates from this master continue with a PhD)
  • Instrumentation engineering
  • Project engineers – energy, renewable energy, infrastructure
  • Regulatory – environmental impact assessment, air quality monitoring
  • Nuclear industry – risk assessment, environmental monitoring

Applications for the academic year 2024-2025

Prerequisites
- Master 1: License or Bachelor in a scientific subject related to the themes of the Master. English level B2.
- Master 2: M1 passed in a subject related to the subjects of the Master. English level B2.

Students from/from Outside the European Union

See page "International Master"

Documents you must provide
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal statement
- Copy of your passport or identity document
- Passport or identity photo
- An academic reference from one of your professors, from the last year of your latest academic programme
- A reference from your employer if you are not currently registered as a student
- Transcript of your academic results for the current year (Bachelor or Masters programme) and for all the preceding years of your university programmes.
- Copy of the last degree certificate that you were awarded
- English language certificate, level B2 – intermediate/advanced (Minimum levels : IELTS 5.0, TOIEC 400, EFSET 51, TOEFL IBT 72, Cambridge FCE, CECR B2, ILR 2, ACTFL Advanced mid, CLB 7, TOEIC 605) or documentary evidence of a minimum of three years of full time education conducted in the English language.