Graduate Admissions

Forestry and Wood Technology Program Admissions

Acceptance into the Forestry and Wood Technology Program is based on several factors including:

• Undergraduate grade-point average: Minimum of 2.75 on a 4.0 point scale, with 3.0+ desirable
• Letters of recommendation (3)
• Personal statement
• Graduate Record Exam (no minimum required level, but a combined score of 1100+ is desirable).
• All prospective students must also be sponsored by a faculty member who is willing to serve as advisor before they will be accepted into the program. Therefore, interested students should contact the faculty members whose research and teaching align most closely with their own interests.
• Letters of interest can be sent anytime, but official applications should be submitted before 1 February for Fall Semester or 1 October for Spring Semester. Late applications will be retained for consideration in the next admissions period.

Many students inquire about entering the Graduate Program without an undergraduate degree in forestry. This is certainly a possibility; a large proportion of students have undergraduate degrees in fields such as biology, computer science, geology, business management, and anthropology. Such students must take a number of undergraduate courses as the basis for graduate study. Some take courses at UMass or another college as a non-degree student before applying; others take the necessary undergraduate courses after being accepted into the program, which is possible for students with degrees closely related to forestry. There is no single set of courses that is required, because of the range of topics included in the program. Students should contact the Graduate Program Director or a faculty member in their area of interest to discuss their particular situation.

General guidelines for graduate admissions can also be found at the Univeristy's Graduate School website.