Forestry
University of Cumbria
UCAS Code: D503 | Foundation Degree in Science - FdSc
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Must pass all 60 credits, 45 at level 3
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
T Level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
Looking for a career where you can be immersed in nature and protect the world around you? Our FdSc Forestry degree provides a path into the forestry profession combined with an optional work experience element, so you gain all the practical know-how to be employed in a truly worthwhile and rewarding sector.
From our campus in Ambleside (Lake District), you’ll have the opportunity to study in woodlands managed for conservation, timber production and social benefits - all within easy access.
Delve into the enchanting world of forestry and discover the untapped wonders of nature.
**Course overview**
Study a professional forestry course at our National School of Forestry in the iconic Lake District National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site just minutes from our Ambleside campus. Gain the skills to start a career in a sector crucial for biodiversity, society and the economy, with a pathway into the National School of Forestry.
**On this course you will...**
- Develop hands-on skills with our 150 hours of work experience.
- Get accredited by the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
- Use the latest forest management technology, such as remote sensing and drones during your studies, to enhance your employability.
- Benefits from our more than 50 years' experience educating and training professional and award-winning foresters.
- Boost your employability through our excellent links with the Royal Forestry Society, Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) and many other forestry organisations.
**What you will learn**
This course is ideally located to explore and practice the management of forests, with the National School of Forestry based on our inspirational Ambleside campus in the heart of the Lake District. You’ll receive a thorough introduction to the forestry profession combined with a work-experience option to back up your theoretical knowledge. Our four week work experience offers you a fantastic chance to gain more hands-on forestry work in a real-life context, whilst on campus you’ll have access on your doorstep to study in woodlands managed for timber, conservation and social benefits.
The skills you develop will see you go on to a rewarding career in forestry both in the UK and potentially internationally. You’ll have the qualifications necessary to progress to the top-up BSc (Hons) Forestry degree should you wish to take your studies further. You will study the sustainable management of forests and woodlands for commercial, social benefits and conservation management.
**Year one**
- Introduction to Managing Trees, Woods and Forests
- Measuring Trees and Forests
- Silviculture
- Woodland Ecology
- Wood Utilisation & Processing
- Forestry Fundamentals
- Practical Forest Skills
**Year two**
- Work Experience
- Geographic Information Systems
- Managing Forest Operations
- Forest Policy and Governance
- Forest Health and Protection
- People and Forests
- Forest Design and Planning
Tuition fees
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What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Forestry and arboriculture
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
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Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Forestry and arboriculture
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Fewer than 100 graduates usually take full first degrees in forestry and arboriculture, so there is not a lot of data to examine — they're a little more commonly taken as foundation degrees, often studied at colleges. But for the chosen few in forestry, there are a handful of specialist roles in forestry management available every year, and this is the degree preferred for those jobs. If you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Forestry and arboriculture
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£21k
£22k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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