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Weather reporter education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a weather reporter. Weather reporters usually study journalism, communication, or photography. 81% of weather reporters hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 63 real weather reporter resumes to see exactly what weather reporter education sections show.

The most common colleges for weather reporters are the University of Miami and the University of Miami.

There are also many online weather reporter courses to help get the education required to be a weather reporter.

What education do you need to become a weather reporter?

What degree do you need to be a weather reporter?

The most common degree for weather reporters is bachelor's degree, with 81% of weather reporters earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 7% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 81%
  • Master's, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a weather reporter?

You should major in journalism to become a weather reporter. 25% of weather reporters major in journalism. Other common majors for a weather reporter include communication and photography.

Most common colleges for weather reporters

Weather reporters often get their degrees at University of Miami, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Florida. Here are the most common colleges for weather reporters in the US based on their resumes.
Weather reporter common collegePercentages
University of Miami12.50%
University of Maryland - College Park12.50%
University of Florida9.38%
Georgetown University6.25%
Seton Hall University6.25%

Best majors for weather reporters

RankMajorPercentages
1Journalism24.5%
2Communication11.3%
3Photography9.4%
4English9.4%
5Meteorology7.5%

Best colleges for weather reporters

The best colleges for weather reporters are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

A weather reporter with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for weather reporters. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become weather reporters.

1. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

3. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

20 best online courses for weather reporters

Advertising disclosure

1. Build a Full-Stack Server for API Requests - NodeJS and Pug

coursera

By the end of this project, you will create a website which reports the weather for a specific city. We will learn how to use NodeJS to send API requests to Accuweather, and Pug and CSS to present the weather to the users.. We will use VSCode throughout this course. Building a full-stack website is a highly sought after skillset and this course is a great way to get started by building a simple weather website. This guided project is for anyone who is comfortable with JavaScript and has some...

2. Build a Website using an API with HTML, JavaScript, and JSON

coursera

In this project, you’ll support a European travel agency’s effort to increase booking by building a webpage that provides visitors with a 7-day weather forecast for major European cities. Accomplishing this task will require you to retrieve real-time weather data from an external service. In creating the webpage, you’ll request, process, and present the weather data using HTML, JavaScript, and JSON. There isn’t just one right approach or solution in this scenario, which means you can create a...

3. Build a Weather App With Python and Django

udemy
4.2
(322)

Learn API Driven Web Development With Django and Python!...

4. Learning Final Cut Pro X - Video Editing Mastery

udemy
4.2
(1,163)

Learning Final Cut Pro X. A detailed course aimed at teaching users how to use FCP X on the Mavericks or Yosemite OS...

5. Use the Apache Spark Structured Streaming API with MongoDB

coursera

By the end of this project, you will use the Apache Spark Structured Streaming API with Python to stream data from two different sources, store a dataset in the MongoDB database, and join two datasets. The Apache Spark Structured Streaming API is used to continuously stream data from various sources including the file system or a TCP/IP socket. One application is to continuously capture data from weather stations for historical purposes...

6. Become a Journalist: Report the News!

coursera

This Specialization will develop and enhance your understanding of the global field of journalism. You'll learn best practices and ethical standards for newsgathering processes and compiling a news report through hands-on projects, peer-to-peer feedback, and issue exploration. You will also study journalism's impact on societal issues and trends, plus explore career opportunities in newspapers, magazine, social media, Internet multimedia, television, radio, corporate and community journalism...

7. The Complete Final Cut Pro X Course Beginner To Intermediate

udemy
4.7
(3,421)

Learn how to edit videos using Final Cut Pro X with easy-to-follow Final Cut Pro tutorials From Beginner to Intermediate...

8. The Complete Final Cut Pro X Video Editing Crash Course

udemy
4.3
(332)

In this Final Cut Pro X Video Editing Course you will go from beginner to pro in under 4 hours! Filmmaking & Video Prod...

9. Processing Data with Python

coursera

Processing data is used in virtually every field these days. It is used for analyzing web traffic to determine personal preferences, gathering scientific data for biological analysis, analyzing weather patterns, business practices, and on. Data can take on many different forms and come from many different sources. Python is an open-source (free) programming language that is used in web programming, data science, artificial intelligence, and many scientific applications. It has libraries that...

10. Final Cut Pro X Tutorial

udemy
4.6
(1,250)

Learn how to edit video in Final Cut Pro X...

11. Video Editing in Final Cut Pro: Learn the Basics in 1 Hour

udemy
4.4
(776)

Learn editing with Final Cut Pro in the shortest time. Perfect for the beginning editor or new content creator...

12. The Complete Android 12 & Kotlin Development Masterclass

udemy
4.4
(11,962)

Learn Android 12 App Development From Beginner to Advanced Developer. Build Apps like Trello, 7Min Workout, Weather App...

13. VIDEO EDITING. Techniques loved by pro broadcast filmmakers

udemy
4.2
(1,284)

Creative video editing techniques used by professionals and taught by a veteran, international award-winning editor...

14. SAS programing on Reports and Tables generating

udemy
4.4
(260)

Create reports and tables using Proc Report, SAS Proc Tabulate, SAS Proc Print and SAS ODS...

15. Complete Guide to Colour Grading in Final Cut Pro X

udemy
4.3
(499)

Beginner to pro grading course for FCPX Discount Code Available...

16. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): 2022 edition

udemy
4.6
(4,019)

Build reports in MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): Implement report layouts, add interactivity...

17. Refrigeration & Air conditioning - Design and calculation

udemy
4.4
(285)

Refrigeration and HVAC fundamentals, design and calculation for commercial and industrial application...

18. Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X - The Complete Guide

udemy
4.6
(12,630)

Become a master at using Logic Pro X Understand music production Learn to record, edit & mix audio to a pro standard...

19. Computational Fluid Dynamics Fundamentals Course

udemy
4.6
(1,501)

Fundamentals and First Principles...

20. The Complete Cloud Computing Software Architecture Patterns

udemy
4.7
(1,025)

Architect Large Scale Systems using Cloud Computing, Software Architecture Patterns & Modern System Design Principles...

Top 10 most affordable universities for weather reporters

The most affordable schools for weather reporters are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for weather reporters are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for weather reporters.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for weather reporters

The hardest universities for weather reporters to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for weather reporters are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for weather reporters based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for weather reporters

The easiest schools for weather reporters to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, university of the incarnate word, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a weather reporter without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for weather reporters.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Washington Adventist Hospital

Takoma Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

52%

SAT average

958

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average weather reporter salary by education level

According to our data, weather reporters with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $80,836 annually. Weather reporters with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $77,045.
Weather reporter education levelWeather reporter salary
Master's Degree$80,836
Bachelor's Degree$77,045

Weather reporter education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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