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General Forestry

Types of Degrees General Forestry Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Forestry can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	19
Associate’s Degree	100
Bachelor’s Degree	668
Master’s Degree	372
Doctor’s Degree	20

What General Forestry Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Forestry develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Forestry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Forestry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Geography — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a General Forestry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Forestry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Forestry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Forestry professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Forestry graduates include:

• Natural Resources Specialist
• Conservation Specialist
• Forest Management Professor
• Natural Resources Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Biometrics Instructor
• Natural Resources Program Instructor
• Forest Technology Professor
• Forest Biometrics Professor
• Lecturer
• Forest Pathology Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Forest Ecology Professor
• Silviculture Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Forestry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.5%
Doctoral degree	21.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.8%
Master’s degree	13.3%
Post-doctoral training	7.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.1%
Some college courses	2.4%
Postsecondary certificate	1.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%
Less than a high school diploma	1.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Forestry?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 65.8% of General Forestry degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	404	34.2%
Men	777	65.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Forestry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	786	66.6%
Asian	23	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	244	20.7%
Black or African American	13	1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.4%
Two or More Races	48	4.1%
Race Unknown	30	2.5%
International Students	32	2.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Forestry Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Forestry 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 General Forestry Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Forestry. 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
Associate’s	2	1
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 General Forestry Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Forestry 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 Resources Production and Management	03.0510
Forest Sciences and Biology	03.0502
Forest Technology/Technician	03.0511
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
Land Use Planning and Management/Development	03.0206
Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management	03.0205

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.