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2024 Best Forestry Schools

43 Colleges in the United States
2,233 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$38,829 Avg Early-Career Salary
Forestry is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #189 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual looked at 43 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Forestry Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,233 degrees in forestry to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Forestry School

Best Forestry Schools The forestry program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Forestry rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for forestry schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Forestry Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Forestry
Bachelor's Degrees in Forestry
Master's Degrees in Forestry
Doctor's Degrees in Forestry

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Forestry Schools list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Forestry in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the forestry degree levels they offer.

10 Top Schools in Forestry

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Forestry Degrees Awarded
9.5% Growth in Graduates

North Carolina State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in forestry. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 105 forestry students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Those forestry students who get their degree from North Carolina State University earn $16,131 more than the average forestry student.

More information about a degree in forestry from North Carolina State University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Forestry Degrees Awarded
40.6% Growth in Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in forestry. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 32 forestry students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Those forestry students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive $8,384 more than the typical forestry graduate.

More information about a degree in forestry from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

3
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NC
85.7% Growth in Graduates

Duke University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in forestry. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 7 forestry students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in forestry from Duke University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$43,822 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in forestry needs to take a look at Oregon State University. Located in the small city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 30 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were about 61 forestry students who graduated with this degree at Oregon State in the most recent data year. Forestry degree recipients from Oregon State University get an earnings boost of approximately $4,993 over the typical income of forestry graduates.

More information about a degree in forestry from Oregon State University

5
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$38,479 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 121 forestry students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the forestry program make around $38,479 for their early career.

More information about a degree in forestry from Virginia Tech

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$44,990 Median Starting Salary

UGA is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 71 forestry students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Forestry degree recipients from University of Georgia get an earnings boost of about $6,160 over the average income of forestry majors.

More information about a degree in forestry from University of Georgia

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$38,609 Median Starting Salary

UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were about 119 forestry students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the forestry program state that they receive average early career wages of $38,609.

More information about a degree in forestry from University of Florida

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
8.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 12 forestry students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in forestry from University of California - Berkeley

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Forestry Degrees Awarded
16.4% Growth in Graduates

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 55 forestry students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, forestry degree recipients typically earn about $39,187 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in forestry from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

10
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Forestry Degrees Awarded
$47,039 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.

There were about 47 forestry students who graduated with this degree at Auburn in the most recent data year. Forestry degree recipients from Auburn University get an earnings boost of approximately $8,210 above the average income of forestry majors.

More information about a degree in forestry from Auburn University

Forestry by Region

View the Best Forestry Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Forestry is one of 5 different types of Natural Resources & Conservation programs to choose from.

Forestry Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Forestry, General 878
Forest Sciences & Biology 406
Forest Technology/Technician 327
Forest Management/Forest Resources Management 293
Forestry, Other 130
Wood Science & Wood Products/Pulp & Paper Technology 95
Urban Forestry 70
Forest Resources Production & Management 34

View All Forestry Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 22,254
Natural Resource Management 2,933
Wildlife Management 2,449
Fisheries Sciences 483
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 151

View All Forestry Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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