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
   • 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. 

Check out program requirements here.

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.

• FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Federal School Code:  001775) – www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Graduate Student Loans – https://www.salliemae.com/ 
• Group private and federal loans available to all students with U.S. co-signer – www.accessgroup.org

6. How do I apply?

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

7. Questions?

Please email John Reid, (digitalag@illinois.edu), Executive Director of the Center for Digital Agriculture