UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Become a
dynamic leader
in environmental
geology and big
data science

Geology is a diverse field that can lead to many different career paths. Our program will provide you with the advanced geological knowledge and critical skills needed to lead in the field. It’s customized for working professionals, allowing you to complete your degree in less than two years without interrupting your career.

Certificate

12 credit hours

Degree

Master's Degree

32 credit hours

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Courses

Certificate Program

The Environmental Geology graduate-level certificate is a 12-credit program allowing a student to gain more skills in a growing field as well as obtain micro-credential that can be added to a resume and LinkedIn! It also provides an ideal bridge into the 32-credit hour online Master’s degree should students desire to continue on for an advanced graduate degree. Learn more>>

Master’s Program

The M.S. in Environmental Geology is designed to meet the high demand for advanced geology expertise used in applied industry sectors, including modeling of groundwater flow, characterization of contaminant migration, groundwater and contaminant geochemistry, and environmental geophysics. Learn more>>

Program Tuition and Fees

The tuition rate for the 2023-2024 academic year is $740 (USD) per credit hour for both the certificate and master’s program courses. Rates in future academic years are subject to review by the Illinois Board of Trustees.  The rate is the same for in-state, out-of-state and international students.

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Online

Accelerate
Your Career

Learn from
Award-Winning Faculty

Gain
High-Demand
Skills

Personalized Program
Advising

Careers

Employment options for Environmental Geology Certificate and M.S. graduates are numerous. Depending on your area of interest, graduates can choose rewarding careers in government, private industry, non-profit organizations, and educational services. Employment opportunities may include work in environmental regulations, environmental consulting, hydrogeologic investigation, pollution abatement and hazardous waste remediation, and environmental geochemistry.

Some specific careers available are:

Environmental Geology Careers

Skills

Through our program, you will learn how to:

Develop and Apply Robust Numerical Models of Complex Groundwater Flow Regimes using, in part, Python

Apply State-of-the-Art Water Chemistry and Bioremediation Strategies using The Geochemist’s Workbench

Understand and Characterize Contaminant Migration Water Chemistry and Hydrogeologic Case Studies

Understand and Apply a Suite of Environmental Geophysical Methods

Develop a Strong Quantitative Foundation in Multi-scale Geodata analysis