The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences is a broad and diverse department offering flexible degrees.  The off-campus graduate program in NRES enables students to continue their education in disciplines related to natural resources and environmental sciences through part-time study at locations in northern Illinois through the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign. Some courses are offered online, however the degree could not be completely attained through distance education.

Students may enroll in individual courses for professional and/or academic advancement, or apply for admission to the M.S. degree program in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Also aligned with the M.S. in NRES is a Certificate of Professional Development in Horticulture.  Students who successfully complete three qualifying courses receive a Professional Development Certificate in Horticulture. A student starting a certificate and decides to continue on for the MS degree can receive both the certificate and the degree.

Potential career opportunities in the NRES field can include work in the areas of Arboriculture, Arboretum Management, Environmental Communications, Conservatism, Cooperative Extension, Ecology, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Education, Forest Management, Forestry, Horticulture, Landscaping, Nurseries and Greenhouse Management, Plant Nutrition, Soil Science, Sustainable Development, Urban Ecology, Urban Forestry, and Turf Management.