Pre-Professional Program:

Forestry and Environmental Management

Illinois Wesleyan University participates with the School of the Environment at Duke University in offering a 3-2 cooperative program in forestry and environmental management, providing a unique combination of liberal and professional education. Illinois Wesleyan students majoring in biology, business, economics, or political science may participate in the program.

During their three years at Illinois Wesleyan, students complete the general education requirements of the College of Liberal Arts, selected requirements of their major department and 26 courses. Irrespective of major, all students are also expected to have had at least one course in calculus (mathematics 151, 161 or 165), statistics (natural science 227 or sociology 227 or business administration 227) and economics (economics 100), and to have a working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet analysis. For students who select either the Resource Ecology or the Forest Resource Management program, this previous training must include an introductory course in ecology (biology 217 preferred but 227 acceptable).

Qualified students are then accepted into either of two degree programs at Duke University, the Master of Forestry (M.F.) for those concentrating in Forest Resource Management or the Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) for those concentrating either in Resource Ecology or in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Chemistry or in Water and Air Resources or in Resource Economics and Policy or in Coastal Environmental Management. Upon satisfactory completion of the initial two semesters of study at Duke (24 semester hours at Duke), Illinois Wesleyan University awards the student the appropriate bachelor's degree. After successful completion of two additional semesters of study, the student receives one of the professional master's degrees from Duke University.

Recent graduates hold positions with industrial firms, environmental consulting firms, state and Federal governmental agencies, and private conservation groups.

Many students complete their four-year baccalaureate degree program from Illinois Wesleyan before entering the M.F. or M.E.M. program at Duke. For students with specific career goals combining interests, Duke's School of the Environment has established formal concurrent degree programs allowing students to earn both a M.F. or M.E.M. degree from the School of the Environment and either a Master of Business Administration degree from the School of Business, or a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the School of Law, or a Master of Arts in public policy degree from the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs.

To obtain further information about the degree programs of Duke University's School of the Environment, contact the Natural Science Division Office in the Center for Natural Sciences Learning and Research at (509) 556-3060.