Master of Forestry
School of Forest Resources
The University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources offers a program of graduate study leading to a Master of Forestry (MF) degree. The MF program is a professional, non-thesis master’s program.
The MF program prepares students for a rewarding career in forest management. The MF program attracts students with undergraduate degrees in forestry wanting to enhancing their abilities as professional foresters, as well as attracts students with degrees in other fields wishing to become foresters.
Applicants for the MF program must apply to the University of Maine Graduate School. Applications and admissions are handled by the Graduate School.
Recommendations for admission are made by the School of Forest Resources based on the applicant’s academic records, results of the Graduate Record Examination (waivers available), experience, and recommendations.
Applications for fall admission should be submitted by the end of March; those for spring admission by the end of November. Those seeking consideration for a School of Forest Resources scholarship should submit applications by January 15.
- Form an Advisory Committee: The Master of Forestry Advisory Committee is made up of a faculty advisor and two more members from the faculty or forestry professionals. This usually happens by May of your first year in the program.
- Accreditation: The Master of Forestry is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF), under its Forestry standard. All graduates of this program need to meet these expectations by having completed a previous degree that has SAF accreditation or by completing the required courses indicated below.
- Course Requirements:
- a. For students with a professional forestry degree accredited by the Society of American Foresters: Thirty (30) total credit hours are required for the MF degree. At least fifteen (12) credits must be in graduate courses, including SFR 690 a three (3) credit problem course on a topic selected by the student and Advisory Committee. The remaining courses (400-level or higher) are selected by the student with the approval of the Advisory Committee. The Program of Study form, which outlines all required coursework, is typically filed with the Graduate School by May of your first year in the program.
- b. Course requirements for students without a professional forestry degree accredited by the Society of American Foresters: Students with a BS or BA degree or its equivalent from a recognized University or College but no SAF-accredited forestry degree will follow the attached curriculum sheet: Click here for the MF Curriculum. Any required course may be substituted or waived by the student’s advisory committee if the applicant can demonstrate a grade of B or higher in a comparable course from their prior education. Common examples would be the soil science and forest vegetation requirements. Other basic undergraduate prerequisites to the MF program are precalculus mathematics, principles of statistical inference, introductory biology, and introductory chemistry. If students lack one or more of these courses, then more than four semesters may be required to complete the program. Contact the Student Academic Services Coordinator to have your undergraduate transcript evaluated and a draft curriculum prepared. The Program of Study form, which outlines all required coursework, is typically filed with the Graduate School by May of your first year in the program.
- Master of Forestry Capstone Project: Students complete a capstone project to demonstrate their proficiency in forestry. This is not a thesis based on research, but rather a professional report which will be reviewed as critically as a thesis by the student’s Advisory Committee. This is often a comprehensive forest management plan, although other special projects can be developed. Students preparing a comprehensive forest management plan typically take SFR589 in fall of their second year, and SFR690 in spring of their second year. Students doing an alternative capstone take SFR690 in any semester.
- Final Capstone Presentation: Student will present and defend their professional report before their Advisory Committee.
Candice Goyette
Student Academic Services Coordinator
201B Nutting Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5781
207.581.4737 | candice.goyette@maine.edu
Dr. William Livingston
M.F. Program Coordinator
5755 Nutting Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5781
207.581.2805 | williaml@maine.edu
Program Purpose
As with the B.S. in Forestry, the purpose of the Master of Forestry program for students without a previous degree in forestry is to produce professional foresters with outstanding scientific knowledge, practical field and technical skills, strong communication abilities, and a strong stewardship ethic needed to sustainably manage private and public forestlands for wood products, recreational opportunities, biological diversity, water, and other ecosystem services.
For students with a previous degree in forestry, the Master of Forestry program will provide students with additional knowledge and skills that will further their professional goals in forestry.
Graduates of the program will be sought by private and public forestland management organizations to monitor and manage diverse forestland. During their education, students will learn the value of diversity in people and perspectives, including indigenous knowledge of forests. This professional degree is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF), and graduates are expected to follow the SAF code of ethics.
