Undergraduate students walking in the woods with hard hats, one smiling.
Natural Resources Careers Begin Here

Undergraduate Majors

Documenting knapweed in dunes. Analyzing northern peatlands. Growing woody mass for biofuels. Conserving the California Condor. The largest forestry program in Michigan, we offer far-reaching ecological programs with global impact. But we're all on a first-name basis. Because nature connects us. Passionate appreciation for the environment infuses everything we do, in classrooms, labs, greenhouses, and our backyard—the wild Keweenaw Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior.

Bachelor's Degrees

Forestry, BS

Our forestry major focuses on acquiring the skills necessary to develop comprehensive management plans and strategies for forested landscapes, aligning them with society's demands while preserving ecosystem integrity. Graduates gain hands-on experience in tasks such as timber marking and harvesting, field canopy assessment, arborist practices, and selective harvesting techniques, as well as the ability to identify tree pests and diseases.

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, BS

Put your love for working outdoors and interest in the ecology and sustainable management of wildlife habitats to work as you assess environmental conditions of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and make land management decisions for wildlife habitat maintenance and protection of ecosystem composition. Our wildlife ecology and conservation major allows students to model, analyze, compare, communicate, and deploy tools and techniques used to understand nesting, migration, food supply, and how biodiverse systems like fish streams are affected by factors from hydrological development to climate change.

Applied Ecology and Environmental Science, BS

Merge the ecological, social, and biotechnological dimensions of natural resource conservation and management by diving into our exciting applied ecology and environmental science major. Explore, measure, document, and analyze terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, make land-use decisions to enhance ecosystem composition, structure, and function, learn remote sensing skills. 

Natural Resources Management, BS

Equip yourself with the skills and training required to tackle the pressing natural resource challenges of the twenty-first century while effectively managing ecosystems and renewable resources with our natural resources management major. Gain the knowledge, expertise, and perspective necessary to address complex environmental problems that relate to renewable natural resources through course work in natural resources ethics, conservation, social sciences, economics and business, and biogeochemistry. Explore the aspects of natural resources on tribal, public, and private land.

Sustainable Bioproducts, BS

Discover the transformative potential of wood and other lignocellulosic fibers as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and nonrenewable materials. Our sustainable bioproducts undergraduate major delves into the world of bioproducts and the Circular Bioeconomy, which are pivotal in addressing the challenges posed by our current unsustainable lifestyle.

Environmental Science and Sustainability, BS

Equip yourself with the skills to craft a sustainable future for our environment with our environmental science and sustainability major. Learn how to seamlessly blend societal needs and perspectives with science-backed environmental practices by grasping the intricacies of the natural world right in our own local environment, knowledge that can be applied to addressing global challenges. Through this program, establish a solid technical foundation in the measurement and monitoring of environmental factors and delve into the complex environmental challenges facing society today.

Environmental Data Science, BS

Be a part of the climate solution using data and advanced technologies with our environmental data science major. Explore interrelationships related to the natural environment and use tools to understand the data that describes our ecosystems. Analyze information, use prediction models, manage and vizualize data, then draw inferences that will help us address the challenges we face in the world today. Sustainable solutions and forest management are at your fingertips. 

  • 100%
    incoming first-year and transfer students eligible for $1,000 Earn and Learn
  • 5,264
    acres of our own educational and research forest
  • 714

    minimum hours of outdoor coursework

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science undergraduate degree program at Michigan's flagship technological university.

This is What You Can Do

Social and intellectual interaction. Weekly speakers. Friday coffee. Interact one-on-one with experts at weekly seminars. Our faculty, ranked first in the nation for scholarly productivity, gets staff and students together on a regular basis. Sure, it's fun. But it's also about pairing you up with mentors and programs that are right for you.

No cookie-cutter majors here. We help you explore and discover your career path.

Employers value Michigan Tech CFRES graduates: they like their field skills, technology knowledge (like Geographic Information Systems), and their ability to process and analyze data they gather. We nurture strong connections with industry leaders. Our forestry and master of forestry programs are accredited by the Society of American Foresters

Minors and Certificates

Get a taste of the language of business at a flagship technological university with a forestry minor. A minor allows you to specialize in a discipline outside of or complementary to your major. We recommend that you begin your minor studies as early as possible in your academic career.

  • Business of Forestry
  • Plant Biotechnology
  • Ecology
  • Sustainable Biomaterials

Diverse Ecosystem of Environmental Stewardship

If you have a love for the woods, and a desire to sustain resources for the future, you will feel at home in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES). Our College is a community on a first-name basis, connected by a shared passion for study, research, and work centered on forest health and ecosystem integrity. Similar to Keweenaw’s biodiverse ecosystems, CFRES is a community of undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, and alumni who learn, lead, and thrive in the unique environment the college has to offer. You’ll notice flags from countries around the world when you step into the door of our atrium. We are a safe space for all who love natural resources, with a commitment to a sense of belonging

3,650 Acres of Research Forest

Michigan Tech’s Ford Center is home to our 3,650-acre forest. Located just over 40 miles from campus, students in their third year get to live, learn, and play in the woods for a whole semester. Learn how to navigate among the trees, count board feet, identify forest pests and diseases, and explore ways to mitigate them. Take a swim in the Sturgeon River while taking water samples, quantify woody and herbaceous plants, design maps, and learn to mark timber.  Spend a couple of hours in the classroom, and the rest of the day outdoors. Work closely with your peers and professors to create management plans that best suit the environment for the changing climate.

Integrated Field Practicum at the Ford Center

The Integrated Field Practicum (IFP) is the cornerstone of natural resource management at Michigan Tech, and stands out among the rest as the only off-campus, semester-long field practicum in the United States. Offered in the Fall and Summer.

4+1 Accelerated Master of Forestry

Earn an accelerated master’s degree with just one additional year of study beyond your bachelor’s degree in forestry. You can start your master of Forestry degree your senior year, allowing you to save time and money on an additional degree. A Master’s degree provides greater opportunity for career advancement and a higher starting salary.

Find Your Pack

If you're passionate about the environment, you won't be alone at Michigan Tech.

Our College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) offers far-reaching ecological programs with global impact—including the longest-running predator-prey study in the world. Plus, we're the only school in the country with a semester-long field camp.

Join a tight-knit community dedicated to sustainability and the circular bioeconomy. Study forestry and the natural environment in thousands of acres of wild forests in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Inquire, investigate, and explore in the ultimate laboratory: the shores of Lake Superior.

Here, our backyard is your classroom.

"I'm excited about finding solutions to some of the problems faced by our society through the management of forest ecosystems. They are very dynamic and can have a powerful impact on our world."Eric Isaacs '18, BS Forestry