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The Bachelor of Forestry Science Degree

The Degree

The structure of the B.For.Sc. degree offers exciting opportunities for study in a range of disciplines. The degree is management oriented, and requires some study of science, commerce, engineering and sociology subjects.

The first year is mainly concerned, however, with the basic sciences that underpin all thinking on forest management and resource utilisation. (First year forestry students are not in fact committed to a forestry degree as almost all their credits can be transferred to a B.Sc. or a B.Com).

This first year may be taken at any New Zealand university - a table of equivalent courses is shown below. However, FORE 100 series of subjects are compulsory papers in the first year and the equivalent extramural paper must be taken by students at other New Zealand universities. You have the choice of semester with FORE 102 in the first and FORE 103 in the second.

In subsequent years this basic knowledge is applied to the forest situation. A feature of the B.For.Sc curriculum is that, from the second year on, students have a choice of optional courses in other Faculties. This allows students to develop a "minor" in another discipline, such as economics, biology, geography etc., within the forestry degree.

While some specialisation is encouraged, all students will have a broad competence, allowing them to work in any field in forestry, and in other areas of land resource management.

Many forestry skills in management are highly relevant and transferable to other sectors of the economy, where B.For.Sc. graduates are already working.

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Entry to the BForSc Degree

There is no restriction on the numbers entering degree studies.

Year 1 Entry

Entry to Year 1 at Canterbury is normally from Year 13 (Level 3).

Year 2 Entry

Direct entry to Year 2 may be from:

• other suitable first year courses at Canterbury or elsewhere at other New Zealand universities;
• a completed NZ Certificate in Science with suitable subjects;
• 7th form: in the case of students with very high Scholarship marks in suitable subjects;

Year 3 Entry

Direct Entry to Year 3 may be from a completed B.Sc. or other degree with passes in suitable subjects.

Students with a completed NZ National Diploma in Forestry qualification may be granted a special course of study in recognition of their previous training.

Ideal Level 3 preparation for a Forestry degree would include subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English and Mathematics or Statistics.

Intending students should communicate with the Dean of Engineering and Forestry at Canterbury. Students intending to study Forestry in their first year at University should pre-enrol for the subjects shown below. They should submit to the Registrar, not later than the final date of pre-enrolment, the most recent record of their scholastic achievements.

The same procedure applies for applicants taking their first year at other universities. These students should communicate with the Dean of Engineering and Forestry at Canterbury before the end of January (earlier if possible) in the year in which they intend to commence, so that an appropriate set of papers may be agreed on before enrolment. Equivalent or acceptable papers at these other institutions are listed in the table below.

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University Equivalents

Canterbury
CHEM 111 or CHEM 112 or CHEM 105	STAT 111 or CHEM 131	BIOL 112 and BIOL 113	ECON 104	FORE 111,, 131, 141 and 151
Auckland
Chemistry 410.110 or 410.120 or 410.195	STAT 475.101	BIOL 405.102 and BIOL 405.104	ECON 101	FORE 102 (1st semester or 2nd semester) This course is to be taken extramurally through the University of Canterbury. It is seen as a key component of first year studies. Contact the Registrar of the University of Canterbury for information on enrolment	Plus 1 course from BIOL MATH PHYSICS GEOG
Waikato
Chemistry 0771.101A or 0771.102B or 0771.103B	STATS 0655.122 A&B	Biological Science 0770.101A and 0770.102B	Business Economics 0345.102		Plus 1 course from BIOL MATH PHYSICS GEOG
Massey
Chemistry 123.101 or 123.102 or 123.103	STAT 161.130	Plant Biology 120.101 and Zoology 199.101	Principles of Economics 178.101		Plus additional Massey papers to give a course of study totaling 85 points
Victoria
CHEM 103 or CHEM 104 or CHEM 191	STAT 193	BIOL 113 and BIOL 132	ECON 130		Plus 6 credits from BIOL ECON MATH PHYSICS GEOG
Otago
Chem 111 or Chem 112	STAT 110	BIOL 113 and BIOL 114	ECON 101		Plus 6 credits from BIOL ECON MATH PHYSICS GEOG

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Note: Students will normally take FORE 141 and FORE 151 in their 2nd year at Canterbury.

Students who decide to transfer to a B.For.Sc. after completing one year or more of another degree should have a minimum of 120 points including passes in Chemistry, Biology and Statistics. It may be possible to proceed if one of these subjects has not been taken, provided that a good grade average has been achieved overall. Again, students should write to the Dean of Forestry in the first instance.

Sponsorship, if sought and where relevant, may be available through the Ministry of Maori Development or private forestry companies. Entry to the School of Forestry is not determined by sponsorship, however, and only a small proportion of all students are sponsored.

Forestry as part of Commerce and Engineering degrees

It is possible to complete a BCom degree with a substantial number of Forestry courses in three years in the areas of accountancy, finance, marketing, strategic management and production management.

The BE (Hons) (Forestry) is a University of Canterbury engineering degree with courses from the School of Forestry, Civil & Natural Resources Engineering and Mathematics & Statistics Departments - all within the College of Engineering.