Forest Engineering
B.S.

The undergraduate program in Forest Engineering is a fully accredited engineering program that originated at ESF in 1971. With over 800 graduates now in engineering practice, this unique program offers a breadth of engineering science and design coursework unparalleled in the United States. Required coursework in science and mathematics, engineering, natural resources, humanities, and social sciences ensures a well-balanced educational experience for graduates entering professional practice in engineering or those moving directly on to graduate school.

The primary objective of this degree program is to prepare qualified engineering graduates to operate with professional competence. A broad base of study in the fundamentals of engineering enables graduates to enter professional practices which focus on civil works as well as use and protection of soil, water, air, and other renewable and non-renewable resources. The program is meant to educate professionals who will ensure sustainable development through engineering solutions that are environmentally responsible.

This unique program emphasizes applications in resource inventory and evaluation; site analysis and development; environmental monitoring and impact assessment; environmental systems design, evaluation and management; structures and transportation systems; pollution abatement and residuals management; and environmental site remediation. A topic that receives special attention is the continual measurement and evaluation of the broad scale parameters which affect the resource base. As a result, the study program provides unique opportunities for students aiming toward professional careers involving the conceptualization, design, and maintenance of geographically-referenced resource information systems (GIS).

Graduates of the forest engineering program enjoy many benefits derived from their capstone-curriculum course in engineering planning and design. This project-oriented course serves to help the student integrate four years of education to solve complex design problems commonly encountered in professional practice.

The Forest Engineering undergraduate program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission/Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC/ABET).

Forest Engineering students with an interest in graduate study can plan their undergraduate studies along an individualized track which will prepare them for entry into a master of science program in environmental and resource engineering at ESF. In this way, forest engineering students who qualify will be admitted to a quality graduate program with minimal inconvenience or interruption in their studies.

In addition, qualified graduates in search of additional education find ready acceptance to engineering graduate schools throughout the country.

Undergraduate Requirements.

Students must complete a carefully designed course of study in order to earn the Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Engineering. This course of study includes the specified courses presented below and elective requirements. The elective courses must be in the humanities or social sciences and in engineering design. A minimum of 130 credit hours is required to complete the B.S. degree in forest engineering.

Humanities or Social Sciences. Many humanities and social science courses are included in the required course program. Furthermore, students select at least nine credit hours of additional courses in humanities or social sciences. Three of these additional credit hours are recommended to be upper division. Humanities course work deals with branches of knowledge concerned with humans and their culture. Social science courses concern individual relationships in and to society. Traditional subjects in these areas are philosophy, religion, history, literature, fine arts, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, and languages beyond the introductory skills courses.

Engineering Design. Instruction and experience in design is a fundamental component of engineering education. Design content is integrated throughout the engineering components of the undergraduate program.Beyond these design components, students take at least three credit hours in upper division course work that complements other forestengineering course work and provides the equivalent of at least one credit hour of depth in design and synthesis. This course work is selected by the student as part of an advisor approved sequence of courses. Typical engineering design electives are Structures II, Soil Mechanics II, Air Pollution Engineering, Photogrammetry II, Synthesis of Mechanical Systems, Advanced Topics in Hydraulics, Energy Systems, and Solid Waste Management.