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NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Head of Department: G. L. Rolfe
Correspondence and Admission Information: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, W-503 Turner Hall, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-2770; Fax: (217) 244-3219; E-mail: nres@uiuc.edu
URL: www.nres.uiuc.edu
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences is a broad and diverse department offering flexible M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The mission of the department is to establish and implement research and educational programs that enhance environmental stewardship in the management and use of natural , agricultural, and urban systems in a socially responsible manner. Composed of approximately 54 faculty, 55 affiliates, and 150 graduate students, with a large supporting staff, the department includes the following major areas of research and teaching: agricultural entomology, forestry, horticulture, and soil science. This variety of disciplines provides a systems-level perspective that few other departments can offer. Further illustrating the breadth of natural resources and environmental sciences, additional research areas include but are not limited to aquatic chemistry, environmental education, humans and the environment, integrated pest management, natural resource economics, restoration ecology, quantitative analysis, textile science, soil chemistry and physics, turfgrass, wildlife ecology, and wood science.
ADMISSION
Graduate applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A = 4.0) calculated on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework. This inc ludes the entire semester in which the 60th hour occurs. Applicants on a quarter system are evaluated on their last two years or 90 quarter hours. Ph.D. applicants must have 3.5 grade point average for all graduate work completed. Applicants should have adequate preparation in the fundamental sciences and
courses appropriate to their proposed field of study in natural resources and environmental sciences. Those without the necessary prerequisites may be accepted conditionally, and the undergraduate courses must be completed before the degree will be awarded. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all students. There is no minimum score for admission, and the results will be examined along with GPA, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and other information in the application package. Students whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences requires a mini mum score of 600 on the paper-based test (250 on the computer-based test). Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must also submit evidence that they have sufficient financial support for their entire program of study. Prospective graduate students are urged to apply for admission to the degree program as early as possible, preferably six to ten months before the beginning of the semester in which they expect to enroll. For fall admission, a deadline of February 1 is used for review of students for financial assistance. Although applications can be submitted later, the chance for financial support may be decreased. Strong letters of reference, evident motivation to undertake graduate study, and good preparation in basic science courses enhance an applicant's credentials.Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
Two options are open to students who wish to pursue a master of science degree in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. In both options the student must complete Professional Orientation in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES 494) and participate in NRES 400, a .25 unit seminar course. Plan A requires that the student satisfactorily complete a minimum of eight units (1 unit = 4 semester hours) of graduate coursework, of which a minimum of three units are 400- level courses. This coursework shall include one to three units of Thesis Research (499), which culminates in the completion and oral defense of a thesis. One unit of 400-level coursework (lecture or lecture/discussion) is required in addition to NRES 499. NRES 400 and NRES 494 cannot be counted toward the 400-level course requirement. Nor can any 400-level seminar, discussion, or special problems course satisfy this requirement. Students in Plan A may not receive credit for more than one unit of NRES 401-Speci al Problems unless it is offered as a lecture or lecture/discussion course. Plan A is required of all research assistants.
The Plan B option is permitted under certain conditions. Any request for this option is considered on its individual merit by the Graduate Policy Committee. This option is often a terminal degree program for those students who do not plan to pursue a career in research or for those who wish to change areas of specialization after the M.S. degree. The Plan B option may also be appropriate in special cases where a student executes a major special project which is equivalent to a M.S. thesis, but which does not lend itself to the thesis format. A Plan B student must satisfactorily complete a minimum of eight units of graduate coursework, of which a minimum of three units are 400- level courses. Plan B students may take up to two units of NRES 401-Special Problems. One unit of 400-level coursework (lecture or lecture/discussion) is required in addition to NRES 401, unless NRES 401 is ta ken as a lecture or lecture/discussion course. The student must also satisfactorily complete NRES 494 and one semester of seminar, NRES 400. NRES 400 and NRES 494 cannot be counted toward the 400-level course requirement. Nor can any 400-level seminar, discussion, or special problems course satisfy this requirement. The student must also prepare and submit a critical review of a special subject in the chosen area of interest and orally defend it. In addition, the student must perform satisfactorily on a comprehensive final examination.
Off-Campus M.S. Degree Program
The off-campus graduate program in NRES enables students to continue their education in disciplines related to natural resources and environmental sciences through part-time study at locations away from the Urbana-Champaign campus. Students can enroll in individual courses for professional and/or academic advancement, or apply for admission to the M.S. degree program. Both thesis and nonthesis options are available in the off-cam pus M.S. program. This
nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering
program meets the needs of persons currently working or wanting to work in the areas of arboriculture, arboretum management, environmental communications, conservation, cooperative extension, ecology, environmental consulting, environmental education, forest management, forestry, horticulture, landscaping, nursery and greenhouse management, plant nutrition, soil science, sustainable development, urban ecology, urban forestry, and turf management.DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
For the Ph.D. program, eight units of coursework and eight units of research experience (NRES 499) beyond an M.S. degree are required (1 unit = 4 semester hours). The student must, in addition, complete Professional Orientation in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES 494) and enroll twice in the .25 unit NRES 400 seminar course, presenting their thesis research in one of the seminars. Stude nts working toward the Ph.D. degree are required to pass a general examination (the preliminary examination) before admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Also, students must successfully complete a final oral examination (thesis defense). In most cases, students earn a M.S. before starting work on a Ph.D. However, in certain cases, it is possible to take the coursework required for the M.S. as part of a Ph.D. program. Details of the B.S. to Ph.D. program are available from the graduate coordinator.
joint degree program in nres and law
Prospective students interested in specializing in environmental or natural resource law are invited to explore a new joint degree program. This unique program is offered through a collaboration between the College of Law and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Many law schools have responded to public concern about the environment by offering more courses in natural resources and environmental law. The University of Illino is at Urbana-Champaign goes one step further, however, allowing students to supplement a law program with training in a related scientific field.
SPECIALIZATION IN NATURAL RESOURCE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences offers a specialization in natural resource ecology and conservation biology. This Ph.D. program is flexible and provides students with proficiency in several core content areas. The program of study requires all students to satisfy requirements in specified core content areas before developing an individual specialization. Interested students should direct inquiries and applications to the department.
program in Environmental and Resource Economics
Students involved in the program in Environmental and Resource Economics (pERE) explore the complex relationships between natural resource allocation, environmental quality and economic prosperity. Students and faculty from five other University departments in addition to NRES are using economics to analyze policy toward some of today's most critical environmental and natural resource issues.
SPECIALIZATION IN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR PLANT BIOLOGY
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences also participates in the multidepartmental, interdisciplinary program in physiological and molecular plant biology for doctoral students. The program is flexible and provides the student with proficiency in several areas of plant physiology and molecular biology. Interested students should direct inquiries and applications to the program coordinator in the School of Life Sciences.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Major areas of faculty research include aquatic ecology and water quality, biogeochemistry and transport, fish and wildlife ecology, food and fiber production, forest ecology and management, genetics and plant physiology, green industry, human dimensions of the environment, insect ecology, natural plant products, quantitati ve analysis, soil productivity and management, and sustainability.
FINANCIAL AID
Several sources of financial aid are available within the department: research assistantships, supported by federal and grant funds made available to the natural resources and environmental sciences faculty; teaching assistantships; departmental fellowships; University fellowships; College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Jonathan Baldwin Turner Fellowships; and waivers of tuition and fees. Appointments as research and teaching assistants and fellows provide a stipend and waive tuition and some fees.
Financial aid is granted on a competitive basis. Applicants are judged for academic potential based on past performance, experience, motivation, dedication to the designated area of interest and, where applicable, the potential to satisfy the objectives of a donor. Fellowships have minimum GPA and GRE score requirements. Information about the current availability of financial aid can be obta ined from the graduate coordinator or, in the case of research assistantships, directly from faculty members working in the area of interest.