Forestry

Types of Degrees Forestry Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many forestry graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	302
Doctor’s Degree	116
Graduate Certificate	68

What Forestry Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to forestry were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Forestry Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in forestry should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Forestry Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to forestry:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Forestry Majors

As you progress with your forestry degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Forestry Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with forestry:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
First-Line Supervisors of Logging Workers	2.1%	$46,960
Forest and Conservation Technicians	3.9%	$37,180
Foresters	4.9%	$61,410
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Park Naturalists	6.3%	$61,310
Range Managers	6.3%	$61,310
Soil and Water Conservationists	6.3%	$61,310

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Forestry?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 45% of the graduates are women, and 55% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of forestry majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	8
Black or African American	12
Hispanic or Latino	8
White	214
International Students	40
Other Races/Ethnicities	20

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Forestry. About 13.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• South Korea
• Nepal
• Iran

How Much Do Forestry Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of forestry students with a master’s degree is $47,213 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $46,999 (25th percentile) and $47,934 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to forestry.

Salaries According to BLS

Forestry majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $50,790 to $65,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Forestry

Some careers associated with forestry require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to forestry have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	11.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.8%
Some College Courses	4.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	43.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.6%
Master’s Degree	3.2%
Doctoral Degree	15.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.0%

Online Forestry Programs

In 2020-2021, 130 schools offered a forestry program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	21	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	77	4
Bachelor’s Degree	10	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	50	1
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	37	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Forestry Worth It?

The median salary for a forestry grad is $63,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 58% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $465,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Forestry

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to forestry.

Major	Number of Grads
Natural Resources Conservation	3,724
Natural Resource Management	1,073
Wildlife Management	323
Fisheries Sciences	106
Natural Resources Conservation (Other)	32

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Bureau of Land Management under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.