IPN: First Public Institution to Offer a Degree in Meteorological Engineering

• The ESIA Ticomán Unit welcomed the first generation of students who aim to become the professionals demanded by the country's strategic sectors.

• The IPN, Conagua, and SMN developed the curriculum that will be taught over the new four-year degree program

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) has become the first public higher education institution to offer a degree in Meteorological Engineering, with the first generation consisting of 25 students. Upon becoming professionals, these graduates will strengthen the agencies and strategic sectors of the country dedicated to meteorology and climatology, civil protection, aeronautics, renewable energy, and oceanography, among many others.

Leodegario Sansón Reyes, coordinator of the Meteorological Engineering Programs at the Escuela Superior de Ingeniería y Arquitectura (ESIA), Ticomán Unit, reported that starting from this academic period 2025-1, the group of students officially commenced the Meteorological Engineering program, making the IPN the pioneering institution in this field.

He stated that, as a result of the general collaboration agreement signed in December 2023 between the IPN, the National Water Commission (Conagua), and the National Meteorological Service (SMN), academic personnel and specialists were brought together to develop the content for this academic program, outlining the topics for each subject to meet the needs of the mentioned agencies and those suggested by the World Meteorological Organization.

He detailed that the Meteorological Engineering program will last four years (eight semesters). The first year will include basic subjects in mathematics and physics, as well as other topics related to the fundamental principles of meteorology (definitions and concepts), programming, and artificial intelligence, along with practical subjects that will be carried out in the last semesters at the SMN.

“They will also take a course in earth sciences, addressing topics such as geology, ecology, and hydrology, as well as issues like flooding and landslides,” he emphasized.

The specialist, who has 24 years of teaching experience at the IPN and received part of his training at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, noted that there are educational institutions in Mexico offering degrees in atmospheric sciences, but the IPN provides a degree in Meteorological Engineering that is also focused on the operational aspects required by the SMN and Conagua, as well as other meteorological centers in the country.

Sansón Reyes highlighted that graduates of the new Meteorological Engineering program will be capable of analyzing and monitoring phenomena such as tropical cyclones (in their categories of depression, storm, and hurricane), interpreting satellite images, drafting meteorological bulletins and alerts, as well as collecting data from observatories and meteorological stations, buoys, radar, and meteorological satellites.

Professor Leodegario Sansón expressed that the next step will be to consolidate the degree program and establish master's and doctoral programs in this field. He also noted plans to reform the Environmental Improvement Technician program offered at the Centro de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos (CECyT) 10 (CECyT) 10 “Carlos Vallejo Márquez” to become a Meteorology Technician program.

For her part, the National Coordinator of the SMN, Alejandra Margarita Méndez Girón, emphasized that there is a deficit of professionals in meteorology in Mexico, citing that there are only dozens in our country, while other nations have hundreds or even thousands. “The degree must been created at the IPN, as graduates will be able to contribute at a national level to meet the meteorological needs of both public and private sectors,” she stressed.