MS in Natural Resources with Emphasis in Forestry

Degree Requirements

Forestry graduates interested in research or teaching may concentrate much of their course work in one or more of the related sciences with a thesis appropriate to forestry. Specialized graduate education is available in forest management, forest soils, forest landscape ecology, fire ecology, hydrology, geographic information systems, physiological ecology, physiology, policy, silviculture,  stand dynamics, water quality, wood quality and tree-ring analysis.

Students often conduct joint research with natural resource specialists at the Northern Research Station (U.S. Forest Service), the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Graduate students typically enroll in courses from across campus. For graduate students of Forestry emphasis area who lack academic or experiential background in forestry, the graduate committee may recommend several courses to compensate for that deficiency. Forestry graduate students commonly enroll in dual undergraduate /graduate courses at the 7000 level, FOREST 7330,  FOREST 7320, FOREST 7390. 

For a graduate student emphasizing forestry, Natural Resources Seminar (NAT_R 9087) is the only required course in the graduate student’s program of study. All graduate students are expected to attend graduate seminars regardless of whether the student is enrolled in the seminar course. PhD students are required to enrolled in the seminar twice.

Students without a Forestry Undergraduate Degree

Those without a baccalaureate degree in forestry may wish to further their education in forest science or to attain professional competence by completing course work in forestry. Work required of students without a forestry degree who want a professional forestry education includes courses in dendrology (FOREST 2151), utilization of forest resources (FOREST 2541), forest resource measurements (FOREST 4380 or FOREST 7380), forest inventory (FOREST 2542), forest ecology (FOREST 4320 or FOREST 7320), silviculture (FOREST 2544), watershed management, and (FOREST 7390). Some of these courses do not carry graduate credit.

Contact Information

Director of Graduate Studies

Hong S. He, Ph.D., Professor
School of Natural Resources
University of Missouri
203 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building
Columbia, Missouri 65211-7250
(573) 882-7717
Email: heh@missouri.edu