The off-campus Crop Science program enables students to strengthen their education through part-time study at various locations around the state of Illinois.  The program has a thirty-year history of providing University of Illinois courses to agri-professional across Illinois as well as in neighboring states.  Students can enroll in individual courses for personal or professional development, participate in the certificate program, or can apply for admission to the off-campus master’s degree program in Crop Sciences.

Aligned with the M.S. in Crop Sciences course offerings, is the Certificate of Professional Development in Crop Sciences.  Students who successfully complete three qualifying courses receive a Professional Development Certificate. A student must take one 500-level approved course, and two 400-level approved courses and receive a “B” or better in all courses to receive their certificate. A student taking courses toward a certificate and then decides to continue on for the M.S. degree in Crop Sciences can receive both the certificate and the degree.  Courses may not be taken through the non-credit option to receive a certificate. 98 students as of the end of 2006 have received professional development certificates. Courses may be taken “non-credit”, but will not count toward the certificate or the MS in Crop Sciences.  Many Certified Crop Advisors do take courses through these offerings “non-credit” to receive CEU’s toward their certification.

The Department of Crop Sciences offers a wide range of courses from Crop Production to Plant Breeding, from Insect Pest Management to Plant Physiology, and from Herbicide Mode of Action to Crop Growth and Development.  Starting in 2006, the Crop Sciences Department has made a commitment to deliver at least one online course per spring and fall semester for those students not near a site-based location or outside Illinois that wish to participate. Some of the current site-based locations include Champaign-Urbana, Oak Brook, Springfield, and Shawnee Community College.  Each semester-long class is taught by University faculty members who travel to a site or teach online one evening a week and teach for approximately three hours.  Occasionally, instructors teach also via two-way interactive video to the site-based locations, enabling one course to be provided to students at more than one location, with instructors either originating on campus or rotating between sites.  Some classes may also be taught on Saturdays.