Master of Science MS

Master of Science (MS) A research proposal and thesis based on original research are major components of the MS degree. The program normally requires 2 – 3 years for completion, and can be tailored for students with interests in forest management, ecology and environmental sciences, economics, engineering, or business. The MS degree program requires a minimum of 30 hours beyond the bachelor degree at the graduate level, 21 hours of which must be in the major. A minimum of 4 but not more than 6 hours in Research and Thesis (FORY 7990) is required. All MS students are required to take Research Methods (FORY 7510) and Seminar (FOWS 7950).

Auburn’s forestry program was first established as the joint Department of Horticulture-Forestry in 1946. In 1947, the Department of Forestry was created in the School of Agriculture and later accredited by the Society of American Foresters. In 1984, the department was awarded “School” status in recognition of its growing prominence in research, outreach, and undergraduate and graduate education. Fifteen years later, Auburn’s Department of Wildlife Sciences merged with the School of Forestry to create what is now the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences (SFWS).

Today, the SFWS offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a variety of natural resources disciplines. Our core undergraduate degree programs include Forestry, Wildlife Ecology and Management, Wildlife Pre-Veterinary Medicine Concentration, and Natural Resources Management, as well as graduate degrees at the master’s and PhD levels. In recent years, SFWS curricula has expanded beyond its core programs with the adoption of 3 new undergraduate degrees, including the Geospatial and Environmental Informatics, Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging, and Wildlife Enterprise Management programs. The SFWS has also expanded to offer distance education and online learning platforms with the availability of an online non-thesis master’s degree and professional certification programs in the areas of Restoration Ecology, One Health, and Forest Finance and Investment. Since the launch of these programs, SFWS undergraduate and graduate student enrollment has increased nearly 50 percent, respectively.