Master of Engineering in Digital Agriculture

Master of Engineering in Digital Agriculture

Our fully online digital agriculture program combines the expertise of faculty in the departments of Computer Science, Crop Sciences, and Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Our students are uniquely poised to lead this new field with the support of our departments, all of which are top-ranked in their fields.

Graduation from the program requires the completion of 32 credit hours with a core curriculum tailored for Digital Agriculture with a specialization topic chosen by students with a selection of elective courses. The core curriculum includes:

• 8 hours of Agricultural and Biological Engineering coursework
• 4 hours of Computer Science coursework
• 4 hours of Crop Sciences coursework
• 4 hours of Capstone or Professional Practicum

12 hours of elective courses from a predetermined list from all three departments will complete the requirements for graduation.

The Master of Engineering in Digital Agriculture is a self-funded program where students are responsible for paying their tuition and fees. Students in this program are not eligible for Board of Trustee (BOT) tuition waiver-generating assistantships at the University of Illinois.

All parts of the application, including the application fee, must be received by the application deadline. Late applications may not be accepted. In addition, incomplete applications will be subject to denial. All admission decisions will be communicated via email to the email address provided in the application.

• Review program eligibility requirements
• Complete the university’s online application.
  
  • Proposed Program tab – from the dropdown select “Digital Agriculture”, – next dropdown select “Digital Agriculture (online) – MENG”
• Pay the application fee – $70 for US citizens and permanent residents and $90 for international students. The application fee must be paid using a credit card through the online application and is non-refundable.
• Submit/upload unofficial transcripts for all completed university coursework with the Online Application. Official transcripts will be required upon admission and acceptance to the program. If offered admission, you must submit final, official academic credentials from the institution/s within one month of the start of the semester to the Graduate College.
• Submit a Statement of Purpose. This is a part of the online application form. Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe your (within 1000 words): (1) How has your academic and professional background, including any professional training prepared you for graduate study?; (2) How will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals?; (3) What are your academic interests and why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in this specific program?; and (optional;) Are there any personal experiences, achievements, strengths, or circumstances you would like to include or that you believe will help you succeed in our program?
• Submit a resumé. This is a part of the online application form. Your resumé should address your education, job experience, remarkable achievements, publications, organizations, awards, and leadership experiences.
• All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as evidence of English proficiency. Official scores are required to be submitted directly from TOEFL/ETS or IELTS. For more information, please visit English Proficiency Requirements. Please note: TOEFL or IELTS scores must be less than two years old from the first day of class at the proposed term of entry in order to be valid. International students may check to see if they are exempt from this requirement based on their country of citizenship.
• Check the status of your application materials to ensure all materials have been submitted.

Students completing the master's degree will need to complete 32 hours of degree requirements, with only 400- and 500-level coursework will be counted, with a minimum of 12 credit hours of 500-level courses required. Eight hours of Agricultural and Biological Engineering coursework, four hours of Computer Science coursework, four hours of Crop Sciences coursework, and four hours of Capstone or Professional Practicum.

Professional Development Credit can be acquired through an activity such as an internship with a company, laboratory, or agency with a subsequent archivable report, a design project performed under a faculty mentor, or a transcripted business-oriented or leadership course.

Students must finish with a 3.0 GPA or higher to achieve the Master of Engineering degree.

Master Degree Core Requirement

• Engineering Measurement Systems
• Principles of Mobile Robotics
• Applied Statistical Methods I
• Autonomous Decision Making
• Database Systems
• Topics in Internet of Things
• Applied Machine Learning
• Introduction to Spatial Analytics
• Research Methods in Crop Science

Professional Development

• Professional Practicum
• Professional Practicum
• Select a different advisor-approved course(s)

Several scholarship options are available. Please check the institute website for more information.

1137 Per Credit Hour