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Urban Forestry

Types of Degrees Urban Forestry Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Urban Forestry have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	31
Bachelor’s Degree	30
Master’s Degree	23
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Urban Forestry Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Urban Forestry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Urban Forestry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Urban Forestry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Urban Forestry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Oracle WebLogic Server	Application server software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE	Map creation software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Urban Forestry graduates include:

• Wildlife Conservation Professor
• Natural Resources Professor
• Forestry Instructor
• Natural Resources Faculty Member
• Forest Pathology Teacher
• Forest Management Teacher
• Instructor
• Forestry Faculty Member
• Forest Pathology Professor
• Biometrics Instructor
• Professor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Ecology Professor
• Silviculture Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	52.9%
Post-doctoral training	18.7%
Bachelor’s degree	13.2%
Master’s degree	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%
Some college courses	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Urban Forestry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 49.4% women and 50.6% men among Urban Forestry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	44	49.4%
Men	45	50.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	53	59.6%
Asian	1	1.1%
Hispanic or Latino	10	11.2%
Black or African American	18	20.2%
Two or More Races	6	6.7%
Race Unknown	1	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Urban Forestry Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Urban 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.}

Is a Degree in Urban Forestry Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Urban 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, General	03.0501
Forestry, Other	03.0599
Wood Science and Wood Products/Pulp and Paper Technology/Technician	03.0509
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General	03.0201
Natural Resources/Conservation, General	03.0101
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other	03.0299
Land Use Planning and Management/Development	03.0206

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.