This is the terminal degree in the profession of forestry, and it prepares you for a career in research and/or education. We offer three concentrations within this doctoral plan-ecosystem science, forest management sciences and economics, and forest social science.
For this plan, which involves completing a dissertation, we expect you to demonstrate your skill in generating original ideas; your considerable command of the literature; your skill at designing, analyzing, and interpreting research; your skill in scientific writing, including publication of research results in major professional refereed journals; and your basic skills in teaching. We expect you to be self-motivated and to largely direct your own research program with advice and counsel from your major professor and dissertation committee. We evaluate your work on the basis of the originality and quality of the new knowledge you generate.
The Forest Science PhD degree is the terminal degree offered in the profession of forestry. Students with the PhD degree normally pursue a career in research and/or education. PhD students are expected to demonstrate skill in the generation of original ideas, considerable command of the literature, skill at designing, analyzing, and interpreting research, skill in scientific writing including the publication of research results in major professional refereed journals and basic skills in teaching.
To receive a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses, from one or more disciplines, ranging from at least 60 - 109 units of graduate-level courses. Most plans require research, a dissertation, and comprehensive exams. All plans have residency requirements regarding time spent on the Flagstaff campus engaged in full-time study.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
| Minimum Units for Completion | 63 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Dissertation | Dissertation is required. |
| Comprehensive Exam | Comprehensive Exam is required. |
| Oral Defense | Oral Defense is required. |
| Research | Individualized research is required. |
| Student Teaching/Supervised Teaching | Required |
| Emphasis or Coursework Required | An emphasis or coursework is required for this degree. |
Purpose Statement
The Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) is the terminal degree offered in the profession of Forestry. The PhD prepares students to be professional researchers and educators by extensive study of Forestry and the development of original scientific research and knowledge through the completion of the dissertation. The PhD trains students for positions such as professor, instructor, conservation specialist, postdoctoral researcher, and forest health specialist in governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations.
The PhD program is appropriate for students with a Master’s degree in Forestry or closely related disciplines. Students lacking a Master’s but having a Bachelor’s degree may be eligible for admission if they have significant research and experience beyond the Bachelor’s degree. PhD students are expected to generate original scientific ideas and knowledge, have a command of the literature, and have advanced skills in designing, analyzing, and interpreting research, scientific writing, and college teaching.
The PhD program emphasizes training in the focus areas of ecosystem, forest management, and forest social sciences; college teaching; research methods and statistics; quantitative analysis; professional presentations; emerging issues in forestry; and electives that provide advanced training in specific skills. The dissertation showcases student’s command of the literature; generation of original scientific ideas; research design, execution, analysis, and interpretation; and scientific writing.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the PhD will have the following competencies:
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
Admission requirements include the following:
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
This Doctoral degree requires 63 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 63 units:
Forestry Common Requirements (23 units):
Select one of the following:
Forest Science elective coursework (10 units)
Please note that you must take at least two of these courses at Northern Arizona University and get your dissertation committee's approval for any courses taken elsewhere.
Additionally, you can use FOR 506 and FOR 695, as well as special topics courses offered by other departments, in any of these concentrations, with approval by your dissertation committee.
Please note that you can only count 15 units of dissertation credit toward your degree; however, you may end up taking additional units since you must enroll each term while you're working on your dissertation.
In choosing courses, please be aware that:
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
Research Requirements
In addition to completing 48 units of coursework, you must demonstrate your independence, research skill, and experience in a discipline within forestry by choosing a problem and research area in consultation with your dissertation committee and then satisfactorily completing a dissertation.
Your dissertation research meets our standards when it is soundly based in the theoretical context of the subject, proceeds with a sound design that gives due attention to statistical adequacy, and concludes with findings and inferences set forth within an appropriate theoretical context. Your dissertation must demonstrate that you have mastered your field of specialization, carried out independent scholarly work, and contributed significant new knowledge. You must successfully pass an oral defense of your dissertation.
Comprehensive Exams
We also require that you demonstrate written and oral communication skills in English at a level that will allow you to effectively communicate your ideas and knowledge to a wide range of audiences. Part of this demonstration involves comprehensive written and oral exams designed to establish your competence in a breadth and depth of subjects within the larger field of forestry.
Research Competency Requirement
Northern Arizona University policy for PhD programs includes a Research Competency requirement that must be satisfied before a student can be admitted to candidacy. In most departments, this is enforced as a requirement to demonstrate an ability to translate disciplinary literature from a foreign language into English. The School of Forestry has chosen to recognize FOR 690, STA 570 (or equivalent), plus one graduate-level course with significant content in statistics, as meeting this requirement.