MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

The Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) online M.S. program provides students around the world the opportunity to study with outstanding scientists in fields related to natural resource management and environmental sciences.

The degree can be completed online with no required trip to the Urbana-Champaign campus.

We know what we’re doing when it comes to providing high-quality online education. While we were approved to deliver the program "online" beginning in 2008, NRES has offered an off-campus M.S. program since 1999. Our real-time course delivery method means that students get the best of both worlds: You can enroll in a program that is geographically distant from your home, yet still attend class with other people, engaging with the faculty member and other students in class discussions, assignments, and projects.

As a student, you will benefit from a rigorous, yet flexible program you can tailor to fit your needs and interests. Some of our elective courses are even offered in a blended format, with class meetings online mixed with field trips or laboratory experiences. These give students who are able to travel a few times during the semester the opportunity to interact with the faculty and other students in-person and to gain hands-on experience.

If you are looking for a career change and are concerned you don’t have the background experience to dive into our MS program, don’t worry. We are happy to work with prospective students and can help you find the courses you need in order to be successful in the program

You can also try the program out before making the commitment of applying for admission. You can take up to 12 hours as non-degree seeking students to see if the program is going to meet their needs or to build a strong academic record that will increase their likelihood of being admitted.

Why NRES?

We research and work in locations locally, across the US, and around the world.

Research

The world-class faculty in NRES meet the needs of students and stakeholders working in a range of areas.

Prospective graduate students are strongly encouraged to contact potential advisors in advance of applying to determine if the faculty are willing to serve as their adviser and have resources available for more graduate students in their programs. An applicant will only be admitted if a faculty member has agreed to advise him/her. Click on an area of expertise and explore the research web pages of the faculty in that list. The best way to contact them is by email. Please keep in mind that only people with "Professor" in their title can advise graduate students.

Dynamic Graduate Program

In NRES, graduate students develop both depth and breadth in their expertise. They work with expert faculty and researchers who train them in the specialized knowledge and skills needed for their research areas, while also participating in NRES seminar and activities that help them see their work within the bigger picture and learn to communicate their expertise to others effectively.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, NRES research and educational programs are tailored to suit your interests, and each student, with their advisor, develops their own plan of study. Our faculty and graduate students are active in interdisciplinary programs and activities on a variety of subjects.

Overview of ACES

More Than Meets The I

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) has been an integral part of the University of Illinois from day one. Although proudly ranked among the top 30 agricultural schools worldwide, today we are more than agriculture. ACES is a diverse college with top-rated programs in engineering, finance and economics, nutritional science, and more. While our faculty and student body have various specialties and areas of interest, we are all working toward a common goal of improving daily life for people around the world.

An ACES Education

We owe our success to putting our students first, supporting them with a compassionate and close-knit academic community.

15:1 Student/ Faculty ratio

By being in ACES you get all the advantages of Big Ten university, but with the small class sizes that make for a close-knit, quality learning experience.

80% Participate in experiential learning

We value learning by doing. Our students complete internships, volunteer, travel around the country, and participate in the over 400 study abroad opportunities available at the University of Illinois to get hands-on experience in their field of study.

$3.5M ACES scholarships awarded yearly

The College of ACES is also dedicated to helping students be financially successful. Each year 3.5 million dollars in college scholarships are awarded to our students. These scholarships are made possible by generous alumni and friends of the college.

74% Four-year graduation rate

ACES boasts both a 91 percent freshman retention rating and a 74 percent four-year graduation rate, the highest graduation rate in the nation among comparable programs, according to US News & World Report. Our graduation rate is also more than double the national average for public universities (33%, according to the U.S. Department of Education). This means students are both staying and succeeding in ACES.

87% Employed or continuing education

Within six months of graduating our students are employed or looking to further themselves by attaining a graduate degree or other advanced designation. About one-third of graduates choose to pursue advanced degrees in a wide variety of fields including science, business, medicine, health and well-being, and education.

The ACES Impact

The lessons taught in our degree programs are rooted in research, and our goal is to share that research not just with our students, but with communities around the world.

Global Impact

Our five overarching research areas cover Food and Agriculture, Environment and Water, Family and Communities, Health and Wellness, and Data and Technology.

Research in each of these areas has the potential to improve lives on a global scale. To tackle this research, ACES partners with institutions around the world, allowing researchers to work with and learn from each other. Our researchers are currently engaged in efforts in over 120 different countries.

Local Impact

The University of Illinois Extension, based out of the College of ACES, has been leading community outreach efforts since 1914.

Extension specialists and educators employed across the state share knowledge learned through university research with local communities via training programs, educational workshops, and more.

Faculty Impact

At the heart of everything, ACES does is our world-class faculty and staff. Faculty in all ACES departments are conducting research and shaping lessons in engaging, impactful ways.

To help foster a greater understanding of the scope of their work, faculty in each of our programs have written summaries of their research and education efforts. These summaries highlight not only what their work entails but also briefly explains how their efforts impact our students and communities.

History

The University of Illinois is recognized worldwide as one of the great public universities, and the College of ACES has been there from day one. The university timeline stretches back to the mid-1800s when activist and Illinois-based professor Jonathan Baldwin Turner started a movement to provide higher education for anyone in the nation who aspired to learn. The movement was heavily backed by farmers and industrial workers, who then made up over 85 percent of the population of Illinois.

In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant College Act, donating public lands for the purpose of creating colleges for “the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts.” Thirty-seven land-grant institutions devoted to this purpose were created in March 1868 thanks to the 1862 Morrill Act, including the University of Illinois (originally Illinois Industrial University).

The Urbana-Champaign location of the university happens to have some of the richest soils in the world. This was quite the boon when the Hatch Act of 1887 established the Agricultural Experiment Station, bringing a new research focus. Later on, in 1914, the knowledge gained from college research and other university efforts was made accessible to each state’s citizens through the Smith-Lever Act, which created the Cooperative Extension System. The University of Illinois Extension operates to this day offering educational programs and materials to residents in all of Illinois' 102 counties.

Today the College of ACES has broadened its horizons to teach and research not just agriculture, but multiple fields of study that can improve lives around the world. To stay up to date on our most recent activities, browse our news section, and subscribe to our newsletter.