Postgraduate Degrees
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The Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry
The Postgraduate Diploma is suitable
- for retraining those who already have a forestry degree or associated qualification from the past;
- for providing some exposure to forestry for graduates with degrees other than forestry; and
- as a qualification for entry to the Master of Forestry Science for those who are otherwise ineligible. Applicants with a degree from any university will be considered. (Students with degrees other than forestry may have sufficient forestry-approved courses to be eligible to enter the Bachelor of Forestry Science degree in second or third year.)
The Postgraduate Diploma requires four subjects taken at 600 level (equivalent to the first year of a Master of Forestry Science). The time required is one year. One subject may be taken from other departments of the university providing they can be timetabled and they are relevant to and of sufficient size and standard to be part of the Postgraduate Diploma.
Any student who satisfactorily completes the Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry is eligible for enrolment in the second year of a two year Master of Forestry Science degree.
Master of Forestry Science
There are three ways of obtaining the Master of Forestry Science degree:
a) by examination and report (six subjects plus a report, minimum time
2 years);
b) by examination and thesis (four subjects plus a thesis, minimum
time 2 years);
c) by thesis (minimum time 1 year).
Candidates with a Bachelor of Forestry Science
with Honours are entitled to choose from all categories. Candidates
with any four-year degree in appropriate subjects at an acceptable
grade, or with a Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry may also be considered
for all categories depending on their background and the nature of
the research topic. Otherwise they will be eligible for categories
A and B. Candidates who have met all the requirements for a
Postgraduate Diploma in Forestry may transfer to Masters A or C without
taking up the Postgraduate Diploma.
Usually candidates with a three year degree will be required to undertake
the Postgraduate Diploma
before being enrolled in Masters A, B or C, although some candidates
with a good three year degree who
wish to pursue research in a specific area will be considered for Masters
B. Those candidates who do not
have the qualifications listed above but consider that they can provide
a case to support admission to
candidature can apply to the university for ad
eundum admission.
The Masters A report is a scholarly document, usually of research,
of less than 20 000 words. The thesis
in Masters B and C is an original piece of research which may be up
to 50 000 words.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree of at least three years duration. Candidates need a good Honours degree or a Masters degree to enrol. Research undertaken towards a Doctor of Philosophy, and the reporting of it, are required at the highest international standard. The research must be original and make a significant contribution to knowledge. Under some circumstances, candidates enrolled in a Masters degree may transfer to a Doctor of Philosophy degree if progress has been very good and the nature of the research is suitable.
Graduate Diploma in Forestry
The Graduate Diploma in Forestry is suitable for providing exposure to forestry for graduates with degrees other than forestry. Applicants with a degree from any university will be considered.
The Graduate Diploma requires 120 points, selected from the Bachelor of Forestry Science schedule. Normally, at least four of these courses shall be taken from the 300 and 400 level. Time required for the degree is one year. One subject may be taken from other departments of the university providing they can be timetabled and they are relevant to and of sufficient size and standard to be part of the Graduate Diploma programme.