Advance your career with an Online Master's Degree in Crop Sciences. Our program focuses on relevant agricultural issues backed by the academic reputation of a world-class research institution.

Degree Requirements

  • Complete 32 hours of coursework for academic credit, and maintain a B grade average or better
  • Of the 32 hours, 12 hours of coursework must be at the 500 level
  • Following the completion of your coursework, you must pass a comprehensive exam administered by faculty and the Online Programs Coordinator.
  • Fulfill the list of core course requirements from the following list:

Online MS Program Core Courses

CPSC 594 – Professional Orientation CPSC (1 hr, Fall) *Required
CPSC 505 – Research Methods in Crop Sciences (4 hrs, Spring) *Required
CPSC 412 – Principles of Crop Production (3 hrs, Fall) *Required

Crops/Crop Production – One Required

CPSC 415 – Bioenergy Crops (3 hrs, Fall)
HORT 435 – Urban Food Production (3 hrs, Fall)
CPSC 480 – Cannabis Classification & Management (3 hrs, Fall)
CPSC 414 – Forage Crops & Pasture Ecology (3 hrs, Fall)
CPSC 499 – Digital Agriculture (3hrs, Spring)

Genetics/Plant Improvement– One Required

CPSC 466 – Genomics for Plant Improvement (2 hrs, Fall)
CPSC 563 – Chromosomes (3 hrs, Summer)
CPSC 499 – International Plant Breeding (3hrs, TBD)

Plant Physiology/Nutrition– One Required

CPSC 588 – Plant Biochemistry (3 hrs, Spring)
CPSC 499 – Plant Nutrition (EH Section) (2 hrs., Spring / Term B)
CPSC 486 – Plant Growth and Development (Fall, Only Even Years)

Pest Management– One Required

CPSC 408 – Integrated Pest Management (3 hrs, Spring)
CPSC 527 – Weed Sciences and Management (3 hrs, Spring)
PLPA 405 – Plant Disease Diagnosis & Management (3 hrs, Fall)

Environmental Aspects – One Required

CPSC 413 – Agriculture, Food and The Environment (2 hrs, Summer)
CPSC 416 – Native Plants, Pollinators, and Food Ecosystems (3 hrs, Fall)
HORT 430 – Children and Nature (2 hrs, Spring)

Statistics – Recommended

CPSC 440 – Applied Statistical Methods (4 hrs, Fall)

Tuition

Estimated tuition and fees for the Online Master's Degree Program depend on the number of courses and hours taken. See Illinois Online for tuition and fee information.

Department Contact

D.K. Lee
Director of Online Programs
DK Lee