Urban Forestry

Types of Degrees Urban Forestry Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many urban forestry graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	18
Graduate Certificate	7
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Urban Forestry Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to urban 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 Urban Forestry Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in urban 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Urban Forestry Majors

urban forestry majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Urban Forestry Majors

As you progress with your urban 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.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Urban Forestry Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with urban forestry:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Foresters	4.9%	$61,410
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Urban Forestry?

The major attracts more women than men. About 83% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	18
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	0
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Urban Forestry

Some careers associated with urban 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 urban forestry have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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	2.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	34.9%
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.	1.1%
Master’s Degree	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	38.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	18.0%

Online Urban Forestry Programs

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)	2	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	12	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Urban Forestry

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

Major	Number of Grads
Forestry, General	943
Forest Sciences & Biology	353
Forest Technology/Technician	304
Forest Management/Forest Resources Management	299
Forestry, Other	103
Wood Science & Wood Products/Pulp & Paper Technology	87
Forest Resources Production & Management	43

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.