Masters of Science in Forest Resources
School of Forest Resources
Students earning a M.S. in Forest Resources are expected to complete a thesis on original research that can be submitted to a journal for publication.
Applications and admission is handled by the Graduate School.
Recommendations for admission are made by the School of Forest Resources based on academic records, quality of statement of purpose (SOP), experience, and recommendations.
The School of Forest Resources receives and evaluates graduate student applications on a rolling basis. Students can be admitted to our graduate program either in the fall or spring semester each year. International students are recommended to consider the required time needed for visa application when applying to our graduate programs.
Applicants are highly encouraged to contact the SFR faculty with research interest matching their intended field of study before submitting their applications. Application materials include the graduate school form, transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation and English scores (for international applicants only). Please see here for the Graduate School English score requirements.
- Form an Advisory Committee: The Master’s Degree Advisory Committee is made up of at least three graduate faculty members, one of whom is preferred to be outside the student’s discipline.
- Course Requirements: Course requirements for an M.S. in Forest Resources are established by the Advisory Committee and must meet the following requirements:
- a. A minimum of 30 credits (coursework plus thesis) is required.
- b. A minimum of 12 hours (exclusive of thesis) of 500- and 600- level courses must be included. SFR-521: Research Methods in Forest Resources (3 credits) is required for all students and satisfies the responsible conduct of research (RCR) requirement of the Graduate School.
- c. Must have at least six (6) and no more than fifteen (15) hours of thesis credits
- d. 1 credit of graduate seminar course is required
- Thesis: The student must complete an original research project and write a thesis. The Advisory Committee must approve the thesis topic and study plan before research can begin.
- Final Examination: A final oral exam covering the student’ thesis and related degree work will be scheduled following tentative approval of the thesis by the Advisory Committee. The final examination committee is usually the Advisory Committee and is selected by the graduate advisor. The vote of the Advisory Committee must be unanimous for the student to pass the examination.
Tuition varies with residency. Financial aid assistance may be available.
All applications may be considered for the several teaching and research assistantships available each year. Check for currently available assistantships.
Dr. Parinaz Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran
Associate Professor of Remote Sensing of Natural Resources
215 Nutting Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5755
207.581.2813 | parinaz.rahimzadeh@maine.edu
Concentrations
Under the Forest Resources graduate program, students may choose one of the five officially approved graduate concentrations:
– Forest Ecosystem Science
– Forest Policy and Economics
– Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
– Bioproducts Engineering
– Parks, Recreation and Tourism
In order to qualify for graduate concentrations, the students must pass at least four (4) courses from the list corresponding to each concentration as provided in Appendix A. One of the four required courses for all concentrations is SFR-521 Research methods. Other requirements for the graduate concentrations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate Advisory Committee of the graduate student and will be outlined in the student’s Program of Study. These may include specific courses, research topic, or advisory committee composition requirements. The concentration will appear on students formal transcripts. The graduate concentrations are optional; a general Forest Resources degree is also offered.
For a list of elective courses for each SFR Graduate Concentration, please click here.
Program Outcomes
Training for M.S. students in the School of Forest Resources will enable students to:
Design and conduct original research demonstrating advanced understanding of current theories, developments, and methodologies (including quantitative and/or qualitative analyses) within a sub-discipline of forest resources (Graduate School Learning Goal 1).
Critique the research done by others in the field of forest resources (Graduate School Learning Goal 1).
Develop written and oral communication skills to disseminate research goals and results (Graduate School Learning Goal 2).
Demonstrate responsible and ethical approaches in the forest-resources field, as applied to data acquisition and sharing, peer review, proposal writing, and acknowledging support (Graduate School Learning Goal 3).
