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Forest Production & Management

Types of Degrees Forest Production & Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Forest Production & Management may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	6
Bachelor’s Degree	9
Master’s Degree	23
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Forest Production & Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Forest Production & Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Forest Production & Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Forest Production & Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Forest Production & Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Forest Production & Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Forest Production & Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Forest Production & Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE	Map creation software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Structure query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Forest Production & Management graduates include:

• Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• Biometrics Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• College Professor
• Assistant Teaching Professor
• Forest Resources Professor
• Forest Technology Professor
• Forest Pathology Teacher
• Professor
• Forest Explorers Instructor
• Natural Resources Program Instructor
• Silviculture Professor
• Forest Management Professor
• Forest Pathology Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Forest Production & Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.5%
Post-doctoral training	15.7%
Bachelor’s degree	14.2%
Master’s degree	10.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.4%
Some college courses	1.5%
Postsecondary certificate	1.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Forest Production & Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 41.7% women and 58.3% men among Forest Production & Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	20	41.7%
Men	28	58.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Forest Production & Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	28	58.3%
Asian	1	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	1	2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	11	22.9%
Race Unknown	1	2.1%
International Students	6	12.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Forest Production & Management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Forest Production & Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,042
4 years	$52,066
5 years	$60,484

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $60,484 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Forest Production & Management Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Forest Production & Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Forest Production & Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Forest Production & Management graduates earn a median of $52,066 four years after completion — roughly 37% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Forestry	03.05
Forest Management/Forest Resources Management	03.0506
Forest Sciences and Biology	03.0502
Forest Technology/Technician	03.0511
Forestry, General	03.0501
Forestry, Other	03.0599
Urban Forestry	03.0508
Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology/Technician	03.0509
Natural Resources/Conservation, General	03.0101
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General	03.0201

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.