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Head of Department: G. L. Rolfe
W-503 Turner Hall
1102 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2770 | Fax: (217) 244-3219
E-mail:
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 includes 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 minimum 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 594) and participate
in NRES 500, a one graduate hour seminar course. Plan A requires that the student
satisfactorily complete a minimum of 32 graduate hours of graduate coursework, of which a minimum of 12 graduate hours are
500- level courses. This coursework shall include 4 to 12 graduate hours
of Thesis Research (599), which culminates in the completion and oral
defense of a thesis. Four graduate hours of 500-level coursework (lecture or
lecture/discussion) are required in addition to NRES 599. NRES 500
and NRES 594 cannot be counted toward the 500-level course requirement.
Nor can any 500-level seminar, discussion, or special problems course
satisfy this requirement. Students in Plan A may not receive credit
for more than 4 graduate hours of NRES 501—Special 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 32 graduate hours
of graduate coursework, of which a minimum of 12 graduate hours are 500-
level courses. Plan B students may take up to 8 graduate hours of NRES 501—Special
Problems. One unit of 500-level coursework (lecture or lecture/discussion)
is required in addition to NRES 501, unless NRES 501 is taken as a
lecture or lecture/discussion course. The student must also satisfactorily
complete NRES 594 and one semester of seminar, NRES 500. NRES 500
and NRES 594 cannot be counted toward the 500-level course requirement.
Nor can any 500-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-campus
M.S. program. This 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, 32 graduate hours of coursework and 32 graduate hours of
research experience (NRES 599) beyond an M.S. degree are required.
The student must, in addition, complete
Professional Orientation in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
(NRES 594) and enroll twice in the one graduate hour NRES 500 seminar course,
presenting their thesis research in one of the seminars. Students
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 Illinois 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, quantitative 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 obtained from the graduate coordinator
or, in the case of research assistantships, directly from faculty
members working in the area of interest.
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