Minimum Admission requirements
For the MS and MA programs, students must meet the following requirements:
- A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university or college
- A GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale)
- An upper division, undergraduate course in ecology with a grade of B or better.
- Application to the University
- Two letters of recommendation
- Goals essay
Applications are accepted year-round, but for full consideration you should complete your application by April 1 for the fall term. Students interested in graduate assistantships, Graduate Public Service Internships, and all other internships that begin in the fall semester must complete their application no later than March 1.
Full admission requires a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), satisfactory completion (B or better) of a 300-level ecology course with lab, and general undergraduate preparation in both natural and social sciences. Students with a GPA between 2.5 and 3.0, and/or deficient in the ecology with lab prerequisite will be considered for conditional admission. If conditional admission is recommended, the student is expected to satisfactorily complete (B or better) one or more of the following: 300 level or higher ecology with lab (ENS 544/546 will meet this requirement), ENS 551 and/or ENS 552 during the first year enrolled in the program.
Admission to the online M.A. degree program also requires that applicants have taken a 300-level or higher ecology course with lab and received a B or better. Environmental Studies will offer ecology online each fall semester for those students who have not previously completed that requirement.
All applicants for admission to the Environmental Studies Department must submit the following application materials to the UIS Office of Admissions:
- A completed Application for Admission,
- application fee, and
- a complete set of transcripts from all colleges and universites attended.
Applicants must specify application to the M.A., M.A. online, or M.S. degree program.
Applicants must submit to the ENS department;
- a letter of application including a statement of academic and professional goals, and
- two letters of recommendation from either professors or employers.
Appplicants must show successful completion of diverse academic coursework. The letters of recommendation must be informative and enthusiastic, and the goals statement should demonstrate a good fit with the resources and expertise of the department's faculty. Please follow this link to the Instructions for Letters of Reference and Goals Statement (PDF).
Submit the goals essay and reference letters to:
Environmental Studies Admissions Committee
University of Illinois at Springfield
One University Plaza, MS PAC 309
Springfield, IL 62703-5407
Decisions for admission will only be made after the application file is complete. Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as possible.
Follow this link to a comprehensive summary of our graduate degree requirements.
