Course details

Summary

Forestry Science graduates are highly sought-after by employers and follow exciting and rewarding career paths. As a graduate, you can choose a career in commercial forestry, conservation and restoration ecology, research, or policy and planning in New Zealand or overseas.

If you care about the management of natural resources and are interested in being part of a huge worldwide industry, of particular national relevance to New Zealand, then forestry could be for you.

A PhD involves extensive, sustained and original research and study in your chosen subject, with the results being presented in a thesis that will contribute to intellectual knowledge of the field. It is a mark of intellectual ability, self-discipline and commitment. A PhD prepares you for a number of careers, including as an academic.

The minimum period of enrolment for a full-time candidate is two years and the maximum period four years; most PhD students take between three and three-and-a-half years.

Career opportunities

The degree is very well supported by employers in New Zealand. Students are able to make employer contacts through New Zealand Institute of Forestry meetings and lectures on campus. These contacts can also provide summer work opportunities.

Some of the biggest companies in New Zealand hire UC graduates and many students obtain work overseas. Of those choosing to enter the workforce, the majority of our graduates are employed after finishing their degree.

Possible careers include forest management or consultancy (plantation and native forests), conservation, harvesting, wood processing, planning, policy, forest science, timber appraisal, biosecurity, forest economics, sustainability and land management.

Entry criteria

Enrolment in a PhD requires completion of a research-focused honours or master's degree at first-class or second-class division 1 level (or equivalent qualifications). Applicants with qualifications from outside New Zealand must have been granted admission to the University.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.