After years of struggling for recognition in the past, the surface transportation weather industry is gaining support within mainstream elements of the atmospheric sciences community. This support is highlighted by the involvement of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology in convening two symposia on weather information involving the surface transportation community in the past two years. With a push at the federal and state level to establish a coordinated movement to enhance public safety with better planning based upon appropriate application of surface weather information, the potential for dramatic growth in the surface transportation weather industry is large. To support this growth in surface transportation weather it is important to prepare knowledgeable professionals in surface transportation meteorology who are capable of supporting this evolving discipline.

This paper describes the efforts at the University of North Dakota to establish both undergraduate and graduate curricula in surface transportation meteorology. The content of courses and desired educational outcomes are discussed in the context of a traditional degree in atmospheric sciences and relative to its impact on the future of surface transportation. The role of public and private sector in curriculum design is addressed.