Forestry, Ph.D.

The Ph.D. in forestry symbolizes the mastery of a special field of learning and indicates the ability of the recipient to independently complete original research and the highest levels of scholarly work. The recipient must demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the specialized field by successful completion of a prescribed course of study, planning and conducting original research, preparation and defense of a well-written dissertation, and passing qualifying and final examinations. The Ph.D. in forestry is a research degree awarded in recognition of the student’s ability to think and work independently as a scholar and to contribute to society original research in a chosen field of natural resource management.

Admission Requirements for the Ph.D. Program

• Hold or qualify for a master’s degree in an appropriate area of knowledge from an accredited college or university
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) on the master’s degree coursework and an acceptable score on the GRE

Exceptions to the above admission requirements may be made on the recommendation of the Graduate Council in the ATCOFA to the dean of the College of Forestry and Agriculture following a written appeal by the applicant to the ATCOFA Graduate Council.

Degree Requirements for the Ph.D. Program

Forestry, Doctorate  

Time Limits

There is a time limit for obtaining a doctoral degree of ten years.  If a student has not graduated in that time limit, a petition for extension of the time limit with justification must be sent and approved by the academic dean of that college as well as the dean of the graduate school.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination (required of all students within approximately six semester hours of completing the formal coursework specified on the official degree plan) determines the student’s mastery of the subject matter in all fields of her/his program and helps to determine whether she/he is to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D.