Center for Digital Agriculture

Master of engineering | Digital Agriculture

With an advanced math and computer science focus, our online, non-thesis Master of Engineering (M.Eng) in Digital Agriculture degree is the first interdisciplinary program specializing in digital agriculture. Designed for students and working professionals interested in learning the in-depth technical aspects of digital agriculture in a fully online environment, the M.Eng in Engineering with a concentration in digital agriculture builds on the groundwork laid by other programs which focus more on training and application of the technology making the agricultural system more efficient, resilient and sustainable.

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2023

Deadline: May 31, 2023 for international students and domestic students

The departments of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Crop Sciences, and Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Center for Digital Agriculture are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the digital agriculture industry and make it an attractive location for aspiring students, professionals, and industry partners. Located in the epicenter of the country’s ag industry, UIUC is home to the Illinois Autonomous Farm, the Farm of the Future, the Artificial Intelligence for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management and Sustainability (AIFARMS), and the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) and offers state-of-the-art and world-renowned advanced computing resources through the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

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.

  1. Review program eligibility requirements
  2. Complete the university’s online application. Apply Now
    1. Proposed Program tab – from the dropdown select “Digital Agriculture”, – next dropdown select “Digital Agriculture (online) – MENG”
  3. 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.
  4. 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. 
  5. 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?
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Check the status of your application materials to ensure all materials have been submitted.
  1. Review program eligibility requirements
  2. Complete the university’s online application. Apply Now
    1. Proposed Program tab – from the dropdown select “Digital Agriculture”, – next dropdown select “Digital Agriculture Non-degree (online) NDEG”
  3. Application fee– The application fee is waved for non-degree/certificate applications
  4. 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. 
  5. 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?
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Check the status of your application materials to ensure all materials have been submitted.

1. What is Digital Agriculture?

Using digital technologies (e.g., sensors, data analytics, robotics, artificial intelligence, etc.) to make the agricultural system more efficient, more resilient, and more sustainable.

2. How will students choose courses? 

Students will work closely with academic and faculty advisors to select courses based on their preferred track.

3. What are ideal areas of expertise/undergraduate majors for this degree?

As a multi-disciplinary program, there are several undergraduate majors that would be a good fit, including but not limited to Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Computer Science, Crop Sciences, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Statistics, Systems Engineering, and more.  Please review the curriculum for this program. This will outline the required coursework as well as elective options. Click on these individual courses to see what prerequisites or foundational courses are generally required.

4. Do I need to have programming experience to be successful in this degree? 

To succeed in graduate-level computer science courses required for this program, candidates must have prerequisite coursework or commensurate experience in object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, linear algebra, and statistics/probability. Applicants interested in pursuing automation and data science-related themes in this program are strongly encouraged to complete courses in these areas at a local university, via the iCAN Program, or as non-degree online courses from Campus Graduate Certificate Programs before enrolling to this Program. Applicants who can not present transcripted grades for the courses mentioned above would be required to pass the Data Structures Proficiency exam to be eligible for admission.

5. Are there scholarships or financial aid?

This is a self-funded degree and does not come with assistantships or tuition waivers. You can apply for student loans and other government financial aid. Some employers also offer tuition assistance for these types of programs.

6. How do I apply?

You can apply for the master’s degree or certificate here.

7. Questions?

Please email Christina Tucker, (lyvers2@illinois.edu), Director of Education for the Center for Digital Agriculture

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

Venture capitalists invested $671.6 million in Ag Tech in 2019 and the demand for industry leaders with innovative ideas is higher than ever. Professionals and students in the following fields could jump start new career opportunities and benefit from the well-rounded curriculum:

  • Agricultural data science
  • Agricultural robotics and automation
  • Bioinformatics
  • Computational biology
  • Precision agriculture
  • Programming for web and mobile applications for ag-related industries
  • Spatial agriculture

“Digital Agriculture is a quickly growing field and a surplus of jobs awaits professionals with a distinctive interdisciplinary combination of skills and backgrounds from agriculture and computer science. These career opportunities are projected to continue growing as agriculture companies continue to advance and bring more technology into their practices.“

Ronaldo Maghirang, ABE Department Head & Professor

Ready to advance your career or make a change?

©2021 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.  |  Web Privacy Notice

Close

About Cookies

Cookies and related technologies (herein “Cookies”) are small text files that a website saves on your computer when you visit the site. Cookies the University sets are called first-party Cookies. The data collected might be about you, your device, your preferences, or your login information. This data is mostly used to make the website work as expected so, for example, you don’t have to keep re-entering your credentials whenever you come back to the site. Cookies set by third parties are called third-party Cookies. We use third-party Cookies for analyzing website traffic and our advertising and marketing efforts. We have divided the Cookies we use into the following categories: Strictly Necessary, Performance, Functional, and Targeting. Under each category heading below you will find a general description of the Cookies in each category. You can change your browser settings to block, delete, or alert you to Cookies. The Help menu on the menu bar of most browsers will tell you how to do that. However, if you do, you may have to manually adjust preferences every time you visit a site and some features may not work as intended.

Read More…

Cookie Categories

Strictly Necessary Cookies are first-party Cookies that are necessary for the website to function. They can be either permanent or temporary and are usually only set in response to actions made directly by you that amount to a request for services, such as logging in or filling in forms. For example, we use Strictly Necessary Cookies to handle user registration and login. Some sites require the use of Strictly Necessary Cookies to access the site, such as University websites requiring University credentialed authentication. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, you may not be able to access the site or some parts of the site will not work.

Always Active

Performance Cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance and effectiveness of University websites. Performance Cookies also help the University understand which webpages are the most and least popular, see how visitors move around the site, and determine whether webpage content is relevant to user interests. Performance Cookies may be first-party or third party, permanent or temporary, and do not personally identify individual visitors. Some Performance Cookies are “analytics” Cookies (e.g., Google Analytics), using third-party software tools, which help us understand more about how our websites are used and where visitors come from by collecting and aggregating anonymous information on the pages visited and any advertisements viewed. The University does not take responsibility for the collection, use, and management of data by any third-party software tool provider unless required to do so by applicable law. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, some site services and functionalities may not work.

Always Active

Functional Cookies enhance the performance and functionality of our websites but are non-essential to their use. These permanent Cookies allow our website to remember information from your previous visits, such as details you submitted before or your previously stated preferences. These Cookies may also be used to provide services you request, such as newsletters or publications. They may be first- or third-party Cookies that enable services we have added to our webpages. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

Always Active

Targeting Cookies are used to deliver content tailored to your interests and may be temporary or permanent. They may also be first-party or third-party Cookies. Targeting Cookies are based on uniquely identifying your browser and device; they do not store information such as your name. The University may use targeting Cookies prepared by the University, its third-party contractors, or advertising partners to provide you with personalized University display advertising and promotional material about the University and its programs. The University may also allow third parties to place Cookies on your device that collect and use anonymous information about your visits to, and interactions with, our websites to personalize advertisements and promotional materials for University goods and services. Targeting Cookies may be used by our third-party contractors or our advertising partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. We may share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you have provided to them or that they have collected from your use of their services. If you set your browser to block or delete Cookies, you will still see advertisements, but they will be less targeted to your interests.

Always Active