Industry News News
UBC unveils new forestry undergrad program

The University of British Columbia is introducing a new undergraduate program, bachelor of science in natural resources, starting in fall 2024. Five of the faculty of forestry’s current degree programs are being unified into one degree, with students choosing from six majors, each providing a well-rounded education in unique fields of natural resource studies.

Students will all take a common first year, with some course selection freedom to obtain prerequisites for potential majors, and then have the opportunity to select a major in second year in bioeconomy sciences and technology, conservation, forest management, forest operations, forest sciences, or wood products.

Two new first year courses, led by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, will introduce students to some of the most wicked environmental problems facing humanity such as climate change, catastrophic fires and floods, resource over-exploitation, food insecurity and poverty, and will show how these sorts of challenges, and others, are truly interdisciplinary needing innovative ecological, social and entrepreneurial solutions. Each major offers a different path for learning how to address these types of issues.

With immersive learning experiences, from field schools and lab work, to co-op opportunities, students will gain practical knowledge and skills that are critical for solving our most pressing natural resource challenges. With a diverse range of majors to choose from, students can explore their interests and find the best program fit for their career goals.