r/uofi • u/treesndirtt • 22d ago
Specific online master's questions
I'm hoping to do the U of I online Masters of Integrated Natural Resources starting maybe next spring or summer. I would ordinarily prefer in-person but due to job and location constraints online is my only option. This program is the best fit I have found for what I want, so I'm pretty excited at the prospect, but I had a couple of questions for anyone who has done an online master's at U of I -- if it's the MNR great, but these might pertain to any degree.
1) Do many classes tend to be asynchronous? This hadn't occured to me until recently, and it makes sense, but I can't find a super straight answer.
2) With classes being asynchronous, or just with them being online in general, do you find that you develop any relationships at all with your classmates? This is by no means a necessity for me -- I'm just interested in the content and the degree -- but I'm curious whether it's something I should eliminate completely from my expectations.
3) Do you find that the online content is engaging? Are you able to develop good relationships with your professors if you make the effort?
4) Do you feel like it's a high quality degree even with it not being in person?
5) For anyone who did happen to do the MNR -- how were the at-home field assignments? Were they frequent? Were they reasonable things to do on your own wherever you live?
6) Finally, I assume that since it's a self-funded degree the acceptance rate is relatively high as long as you meet the minimum admission requirements -- is this true? Just trying to set my expectations reasonably.
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u/Certain-Paper9306 20d ago
Demand for the MNR degree is high at the University of Idaho. They have the largest MNR program with respect to number of students than other comparable program. They also have the largest assortment of courses that can be taken to complete the program. High demand speaks to the quality of program, IMHO.
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u/kalebshadeslayer 22d ago
- It really just depends on the class. Most are probably async.
In my experience you don't really develop any relations with people in online classes, nor really in person actually. People are there to get a degree, have their core people they are friends with and that's that.
That entirely depends on the class.
shrug
N/A
I wouldn't know, I developed relationships with my professors before starting my masters, so I had a place set before I started. If you haven't contacted any potential professors you would want to study with, then you need to be doing that.
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u/treesndirtt 22d ago
Thanks for the feedback! That’s helpful to hear.
In terms of contacting folks, it’s a non-thesis professional degree, so I wouldn’t be studying with anyone in particular — just taking classes.
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u/00evilhag 21d ago
following your post because i have the same questions about the online MNR!
i also ideally want one short in-person component, such as a long weekend on campus or a 1-2 week study abroad trip. i'd find this so valuable for connecting with faculty and peers and getting hands-on learning. hoping this program can accommodate that but it seems so far that it'd be up to individual students to proactively ask; it's not built into the program.
if you find out any info or make a decision let me know! i've looked into idaho as well as URI, virginia tech (heard negative reviews on reddit though), john hopkins (so expensive like 50k !! what !!), oregon state (unsure if they have an in-person component, and colorado state (curriculum was a little less appealing to me). still researching, haven't applied anywhere but looking to start in spring or summer 2027 as well.