UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change

Environmental Geology Online Programs

Environmental Geology Online Programs

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FAQs

Certificate Program

A: Yes! This program may be of interest to those looking to transition into a career in environmental geology from another field, or otherwise seeking to gain more knowledge of concepts and tools for applied geological sciences. While a large number of our advanced online courses do have geology, chemistry, and math pre-requisites, students may successfully complete the certificate program without a physical sciences background. Please contact the program Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Pettijohn at jcpettij@illinois.edu if you have specific questions or concerns about how this program might align with your career goals.

A: Yes! While you are welcome to apply directly for the online Master’s degree, another option is to initially enroll in the certificate program, take a course or two, and then apply to the degree program. Once officially admitted to the online Master’s program, courses taken toward the certificate will also be applied toward the degree requirements.
A: The 12-hour Environmental Geology Online Graduate Certificate provides advanced environmental geology training and skills for individuals interested in either starting a career in consulting or advancing in an existing career, similar to a focused workshop series. The MS program involves 32 hours of coursework, including a focused Capstone Research Project with a Faculty Advisor. The certificate provides an ideal bridge into the MS program, if so desired.
A: Yes! A majority of the core material and lessons for each course is delivered asynchronously, so you can work on them as your busy schedule permits each week. While a selection of courses has synchronous sessions, faculty will work directly with you to better align with your complicated schedule!
A: You’ll submit your CV, and an unofficial transcript from your Bachelor’s degree, along with a few details about yourself. That’s it!

A: No. The Geology Department has removed the requirement for submitting GRE scores for all its graduate programs, on-campus and online!

A: We strive to evaluate applications to the certificate program within a week of their submission, if possible. Should we need additional information to complete the evaluation, we will contact you directly.
A: There is no financial aid available for this online program. However, a student may secure loans independently. Tuition waivers are not accepted for this program; statutory waivers such as military or federal waivers may be used.

Online Master’s Degree Program

A: Yes and no. This program may be of interest to those looking to transition into a career in environmental geology from another physical sciences field, or otherwise seeking to gain more knowledge of concepts and tools for applied geological sciences. Please contact the program Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Pettijohn at jcpettij@illinois.edu if you have specific questions or concerns about how this program might align with your career goals.

A: Yes! While you are welcome to apply directly for the online Master’s degree, another option is to initially enroll in the certificate program, take a course or two, and then apply to the degree program. Once officially admitted to the online Master’s program, courses taken toward the certificate will also be applied toward the degree requirements.
A: The 12-hour Environmental Geology Online Graduate Certificate provides advanced environmental geology training and skills for individuals interested in either starting a career in consulting or advancing in an existing career, similar to a focused workshop series. The MS program involves 32 hours of coursework, including a focused Capstone Research Project with a Faculty Advisor. The certificate provides an ideal bridge into the MS program, if so desired.
A: Yes! The core material and lessons for each course are delivered asynchronously, so you can work on them as your busy schedule permits each week. While most courses have a weekly synchronous lab session, we offer both daytime and evening section options, to better align with your schedule!
A: Our online Master’s program is geared more toward those going into industry or already working as a professional and specifically focused on helping you build and refine your knowledge and toolset for evaluating weather and climate risk and data analytics. While you will do a Capstone Research Project in this program (through GEOL 598, the capstone course), you will not write a thesis. Your Capstone project will not be as extensive as the project in our on-campus Master’s program.
A: You’ll complete the application on the Graduate College website which will ask you to submit:
  • academic statement of purpose
  • three references
  • official transcript for your bachelor’s degree
  • TOEFL scores (if applicable)
  • resume/CV
A: We strive to evaluate applications to the Master’s program as soon as possible. Once you have completed your application and all of your references, TOEFL scores (if applicable), official transcript from your bachelor’s degree, and resume/CV have been received, we will review your application materials and a decision will be made. This process may take anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks.

A: No. The Geology Department has removed the requirement for submitting GRE scores for all its graduate programs, on-campus and online!

A: There is no financial aid available for this online program. However, a student may secure loans independently. Tuition waivers are not accepted for this program; statutory waivers such as military or federal waivers may be used.

Environmental Geology
Online Programs

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Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change

School of Earth, Society & Environment

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

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Environmental Geology
Online Programs

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