Degree Programs

Graduate students in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources are expected to be creative scholars and to develop the ability to fill positions of leadership in research, education, and management. Warnell provides advanced education and, through research, extends scientific understanding of forest resources, and in addition, promotes the development of scientists and professional resource managers capable of solving natural resource problems through understanding and application of biological, economic, environmental, social, and analytical principles.

The Warnell graduate program offers the Master of Forest Resources (MFR), MS and PhD degrees. Students must declare their degree objective at the time of application to the graduate program.

The MFR degree is a terminal degree, suitable for students who want additional instruction and training in Forest Resources. The MFR requires a minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate-level course work, but additional courses may be required by the student’s Advisory Committee. No thesis is required.

The MS degree is a research degree designed for students who want to specialize in particular academic or scientific areas. This degree is for students who plan an academic, research, or staff specialist career, and for those students who plan to pursue a PhD. The MS requires a thesis and minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate level course work.

The PhD degree is frequently required for research and staff specialist positions, and is nearly always required for university faculty positions. The PhD is often regarded as a degree of specialized education within a relatively narrow field of expertise. The PhD requires a dissertation and a minimum of 30 hours of consecutive course work.

In almost all cases, a Master’s degree is required for admission to the PhD program. However, a student with an extraordinary baccalaureate record may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee for admission directly to the doctoral program.

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