Once your application form for the certificate is reviewed by the Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change, you will be contacted by a program advisor.
**Note that this is a self-sustaining program and waivers may not be used to cover tuition and fees of this program (other than certain statutory waivers; see information below). Please consult with program staff if you have questions.
You may also directly contact the Environmental Geology Online Program faculty director, Dr. J. Cory Pettijohn, jcpettij@illinois.edu, for additional information regarding the certificate program or complete the form below to request more information.
Certificate application deadlines are:
Admitted students typically have prior work experience in a wide range of geological or related positions. It is recommended that all application materials and letters of support be submitted by the deadline date.
Please make sure to include all relevant work experience. Even if you don’t have a career in a geology or related field, include any volunteer work or related roles that you have held that would help us understand you as a person and what makes you a good fit for the program.
Obtain and upload transcripts from every post-secondary institution you have attended. Applicants must have been awarded a comparable bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States or from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable GPA for an international applicant, for the last two years of the undergraduate program is the minimum requirement for admission. Please speak with a program adviser if your GPA is below 3.0 to discuss additional admissions options.
Submission of three letters are required for admission. Recommendation letters can come from either academic or professional sources; recommendations from personal sources (e.g., neighbors, friends, family) will not be considered.
We want to get to know you better. Think about these elements to include in your personal/professional statement:
Students whose native language is not English must present their official scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination with the required minimum scores: 611 on the paper-based test, 254 on the computer-based test, 103 on the Internet-based test (iBT).
The tuition rate for the 2025-2026 academic year is $775 (USD) per credit hour. These rates include both tuition and fees, and are the same for in-state, out-of-state and international students. Cost for future courses may be subject to moderate changes in accordance with the actions of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
Based upon prior tuition rate trends, you can plan on approximately $24,800 for the 32 credit-hour program and $9,300 for the 12 credit-hour certificate program.
Students in these programs are not eligible to hold a waiver generating graduate appointment (Assistantship or Fellowship). Current employees may be admitted to these programs, but their employee tuition waiver is not eligible for use towards a program with this designation.
To apply for the Master of Science program, complete the online application through the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The domestic application fee is currently $70 and $90 for international applications. The application fee for domestic applicants starting in Spring 2026 will increase to $90.
This program welcomes those with statutory waivers or veterans affairs benefits to apply for the program! Please review the information about using veterans benefits HERE.
*The waiver policy is subject to moderate changes in accordance with the actions of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
