Forestry Bachelor's Degree

A Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Michigan Tech prepares you to protect the world's natural resources with others who are just as passionate as you.

There's no better place to study natural resources than the wild Keweenaw Peninsula, bordered by Lake Superior and blanketed with forests and wetlands (and 218+ inches of snow each winter). First-year students have two outdoor field labs and are all eligible to be paid as Earn and Learn students—an experience that gets you involved in research right away, so you can acquire the hands-on knowledge and skills to land a summer job or internship after your first year. Other schools own forests—but our students explore 3,650 acres of woodland right outside the back door at the Ford Center and Forest. In your junior year, you'll spend 14 weeks learning in these woods, covering the elements of forested landscapes in a blend of classroom and field study through our Integrated Field Practicum.

After graduating, our forestry students are nationally accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF), putting them a step above the rest when it comes to working for federal agencies, large-scale timber companies, nonprofits, and other employers that require this accreditation.

What Will I Study?

Study soil science, biometrics, hydrology, and silviculture. Identify the 37 native tree species of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Learn the 152 trees and plants covered in the Vegetation of North America course. As a member of our scholarly community, you'll build strong working relationships with professors and peers in classrooms, labs, and out in the field for work and play. Both in the classroom and outside it, you'll find many opportunities to dive into the subjects that matter most to you.

arial image of the ford center in the fall

'Camp' at the Ford Center and Forest

Spend a semester outdoors in our 3,500-acre forest, located in Alberta, Michigan, just 40 miles away from our main campus. During each student's junior year, they will live, eat, sleep, and study with peers while living in dorms located right on the Ford Center property. Get out in the field Monday through Friday for classes such as Survey of Silviculture, Forest Health, and Wildlife Habitat. Collect samples, study natural ecosystems, and learn the necessities that will help you in your natural resource career. Learn more about "camp"—formally known as our Integrated Field Practicum.

Be Career Ready

As humans continue to depend on forests for a variety of values, tomorrow’s foresters will need to understand how to manage our lands in an era of climate change and sustainability.

The College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science hosts its own Natural Resource Career Fair. Each year, around 20 companies from across the US travel to Michigan Tech in late fall to educate and recruit employees.

Career Opportunities for Forestry

  • District Forester

  • Urban Forester

  • Forest Consultant

  • Utility Forester

  • Research Scientist

  • Timber Broker

  • Procurement Forester

  • Forest Resource Manager

  • Forest Economist

Michigan Tech Forestry Majors Have Been Hired By

  • Lyme Great Lakes Timberland

  • State Departments of Natural Resources

  • American Forest Management
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service

  • US Forest Service

  • Davey Tree Company

  • Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science

  • Green Timber Consulting

What is Forestry?

Forestry is silviculture, combined with sustainability, backed by science.

Forestry is determining the characteristics of forested ecosystems and their connections, and discovering the value trees hold to landowners, recreational users, and timber companies. Manage the land based on the needs of those directly impacted, as well as those who will be affected in hundreds of years. Assess the soils, water, and herbaceous understory beneath the trees. Study sugar maple dieback on the northern range, warming experiments in tropical forests, the future of Michigan biofuels (and bioenergy development across the Americas), intensive industrial plantation systems, and family forest conservation. Why choose a forestry major? It's about managing forested ecosystems for tomorrow.

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying forestry at Michigan's flagship technological university.

  • 8:1
    student-to-faculty ratio
  • 25
    typical lab size
  • 3.5K
    acres to explore at our residential field camp

Huskies Go To The Woods

Study how the changing climate will affect our future forests at the Ford Forestry Center—our 5,000-acre classroom.

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 Michigan Tech's 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 the Keweenaw Peninsula’s biodiverse ecosystems, CFRES is a community of undergraduates, graduates, faculty, staff, and alumni who learn, lead, and thrive in the College's unique environment. You’ll notice flags from countries around the world when you step through the doors of our atrium. We are a safe space for all who love natural resources, with a strong commitment to a sense of community.

5,850+ Acres of University Forestland

Our forests are your living lab—and playground. The University owns 5,866 acres of forestland. Undergraduate students in forestry, wildlife, ecology, and soils perform a minimum of 714 hours of outdoor coursework to fulfill degree requirements.

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. Work closely with your peers and professors to create management plans that best suit the environment for the changing climate. Tap maple trees, learn the history of syrup-making, and process your own maple syrup at the Nara Family Maple Center.

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 as the only off-campus, semester-long field practicum in the United States. Offered in the fall and summer, students in their junior year get to live, learn, and play in our 3,700-acre research forest for a whole semester. Spend a few hours in the classroom and the rest of the day outdoors at Michigan Tech’s Ford Center, just over 40 miles from our main campus.

Take waypoints and design maps. Get your hands dirty and your feet wet exploring soil, geology, and climate. Collect fungi or insects for a specimen collection. Hug trees as you measure stand basal area. Learn to determine canopy health. Collect photos from camera traps. Mental and physical challenges prepare students for careers in our four land management degree programs.

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. Start your Master of Forestry degree your senior year, saving time and money on the graduate degree. This professional degree expands your qualifications and experience in mapping, analyzing, managing, and communicating forest and environmental resources issues. A master’s degree provides greater opportunity for career advancement and a higher starting salary.

Tomorrow Needs Sustainable Forest Management

Healthy, intact, functioning ecosystems support both human health and the health and well-being of other species, from trees to birds, fish and insects. Join a community that believes in renewable resources, sustainability, and multiple-use forests in a sustainably driven society at an R1 flagship public research university powered by science, technology, sustainability, and passion. Graduate with a foundation of knowledge and real-world experience in natural resource management.


Undergraduate Majors

Documenting knapweed in dunes. Analyzing northern peatlands. Growing woody mass for biofuels. Conserving the California condor. As the largest forestry program in Michigan, we offer students access to far-reaching ecological programs with global impact (like the longest-running predator-prey study in the world).

Or, start with our General Forestry option and give yourself time to decide.

Why Accreditation Matters

As an accredited forestry degree, Michigan Tech assesses student learning to ensure quality for forestry education and continuously improve curriculum and programs.

Student Learning Goals

Students in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science can expect to achieve the following learning goals—which also align with the University's Undergraduate Student Learning Goals:

  1. Develop in-depth knowledge of the field of forestry.

  2. Develop a strong set of field skills related to the management of natural resources.

  3. Effectively identify and evaluate sources of information relating to forestry.

  4. Provide alternative solutions to situations or problems in forestry.

  5. Communicate effectively (orally and in writing) about issues related to forestry.

  6. Develop behavioral skills supporting a high level of professional conduct.

  7. Develop the ability to work effectively in teams.

SAF logo
"Attending events, and participating in extracurriculars like the Forestry Club, I have had the opportunity to meet industry professionals from all around the region who are MTU alums. These are the people I will be networking with over the course of the next few years, so having them as a resource is invaluable to me and future generations of Tech students."Tristan Walk ’26, forestry