Forestry

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

The Master of Forestry (MF) degree is the advanced professional forestry degree granted by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. The student who has completed an undergraduate curriculum in forestry is usually broadly trained in the principles of forestry but has not yet developed proficiency in the application of these principles to diverse problems involved in professional practice. The Master of Forestry program is designed to advance the student's understanding of the essentials of professional forest management at the graduate level within the context of resource and environmental planning of sustainable systems.

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Admissions

Admission to the University

Uniform minimum requirements for admission

The following minimum requirements apply to all programs and will be verified by the Graduate Division:

  1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;
  2. A minimum grade-point average of B or better (3.0);
  3. If the applicant comes from a country or political entity (e.g. Quebec) where English is not the official language, adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by a TOEFL score of at least 570 on the paper-and-pencil test, 230 on the computer-based test, 90 on the iBT test, or an IELTS Band score of at least 7 (note that individual programs may set higher levels for any of these); and
  4. Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in the given field.

Applicants who already hold a graduate degree

The Graduate Council views academic degrees as evidence of broad research training, not as vocational training certificates; therefore, applicants who already have academic graduate degrees should be able to take up new subject matter on a serious level without undertaking a graduate program, unless the fields are completely dissimilar.

Programs may consider students for an additional academic master’s or professional master’s degree if the additional degree is in a distinctly different field.

Applicants admitted to a doctoral program that requires a master’s degree to be earned at Berkeley as a prerequisite (even though the applicant already has a master’s degree from another institution in the same or a closely allied field of study) will be permitted to undertake the second master’s degree, despite the overlap in field.

The Graduate Division will admit students for a second doctoral degree only if they meet the following guidelines:

  1. Applicants with doctoral degrees may be admitted for an additional doctoral degree only if that degree program is in a general area of knowledge distinctly different from the field in which they earned their original degree. For example, a physics PhD could be admitted to a doctoral degree program in music or history; however, a student with a doctoral degree in mathematics would not be permitted to add a PhD in statistics.
  2. Applicants who hold the PhD degree may be admitted to a professional doctorate or professional master’s degree program if there is no duplication of training involved.

Applicants may only apply to one single degree program or one concurrent degree program per admission cycle.

Any applicant who was previously registered at Berkeley as a graduate student, no matter how briefly, must apply for readmission, not admission, even if the new application is to a different program.

Required documents for admissions applications

  1. Transcripts:  Upload unofficial transcripts with the application for the departmental initial review. Official transcripts of all college-level work will be required if admitted. Official transcripts must be in sealed envelopes as issued by the school(s) you have attended. Request a current transcript from every post-secondary school that you have attended, including community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs.
    If you have attended Berkeley, upload unofficial transcript with the application for the departmental initial review. Official transcript with evidence of degree conferral will not be required if admitted.
  2. Letters of recommendation: Applicants can request online letters of recommendation through the online application system. Hard copies of recommendation letters must be sent directly to the program, not the Graduate Division.
  3. Evidence of English language proficiency: All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and most European countries. However, applicants who, at the time of application, have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a U.S. university may submit an official transcript from the U.S. university to fulfill this requirement. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement: 1) courses in English as a Second Language, 2) courses conducted in a language other than English, 3) courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and 4) courses of a non-academic nature. If applicants have previously been denied admission to Berkeley on the basis of their English language proficiency, they must submit new test scores that meet the current minimum from one of the standardized tests.

Master's Degree Requirements

Curriculum

The M.F. program has four components: course work, an internship, a professional paper, and an oral examination, and typically takes about two years for completion.

Course work:
24 semester units of upper division and graduate courses, of which at least 12 units are at the graduate level. The Forestry Graduate Advisor and the student’s Guiding Professor must approve the program of study to assure advanced specialized training in professional forest resource management.  Advanced courses in forest measurements, silviculture and management are required.

Internship:
Normally with a public or private forestland management organization, the internship provides direct experience in the application of theory to professional land management.

Professional paper:
The paper demonstrates a student’s ability to assemble and analyze data and to recommend a resolution of an applied forest problem. The paper may be based on the internship or on another supervised professional work experience, or may be a report based on independent analysis. The paper must have Guiding Professor and Forestry Graduate Advisor acceptance and approval.

Oral Exam:
A comprehensive oral examination covering forest management is taken after completion of course work and approval of the professional paper. Primary emphasis will be on work done in the period of residence, but students should also be prepared to demonstrate mastery of the general field of forestry.

For more information on the Master of Forestry degree, please contact Roxanne Heglar , the Forestry Graduate Advisor.

Courses

Forestry

ENVECON C1 Introduction to Environmental Economics and Policy 4 Units

Introduction to microeconomics with emphasis on resource, agricultural, and environmental issues.

ENVECON 39D Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

ENVECON 100 Microeconomic Theory with Application to Natural Resources 4 Units

Covers the basic microeconomic tools for further study of natural resource problems. Theory of consumption, production, theory of the firm, industrial organization, general equilibrium, public goods and externalities. Applications to agriculture and natural resources.

ENVECON C101 Environmental Economics 4 Units

Theories of externalities and public goods applied to pollution and environmental policy. Trade-off between production and environmental amenities. Assessing nonmarket value of environmental amenities. Remediation and clean-up policies. Environment and development. Biodiversity management.

ENVECON C102 Natural Resource Economics 4 Units

Introduction to the economics of natural resources. Land and the concept of economic rent. Models of optimal depletion of nonrenewable resources and optimal use of renewable resources. Application to energy, forests, fisheries, water, and climate change. Resources, growth, and sustainability.

ENVECON C115 Modeling and Management of Biological Resources 4 Units

Models of population growth, chaos, life tables, and Leslie matrix theory. Harvesting and exploitation theory. Methods for analyzing population interactions, predation, competition. Fisheries, forest stands, and insect pest management. Genetic aspects of population management. Mathematical theory based on simple difference and ordinary differential equations. Use of simulation packages on microcomputers (previous experience with computers not required).

ENVECON C118 Introductory Applied Econometrics 4 Units

Formulation of a research hypothesis and definition of an empirical strategy. Regression analysis with cross-sectional and time-series data; econometric methods for the analysis of qualitative information; hypothesis testing. The techniques of statistical and econometric analysis are developed through applications to a set of case studies and real data in the fields of environmental, resource, and international development economics. Students learn the use of a statistical software for economic data analysis.

ENVECON 131 Globalization and the Natural Environment 3 Units

An examination of the environmental effects of globalization. How has increased international trade, the integration of factor markets, and the adoption of international agreements affected the environment? Case studies include the environmental impact of GATT/WTO and NAFTA. Multi-disciplinary approach examines the actual laws and institutions and the economic theories of globalization, in addition to the empirical evidence of globalization's environmental effects.

ENVECON 140AC Economics of Race, Agriculture, and the Environment 3 Units

This course examines whether and how economic processes explain shifting formations of race and differential experiences among racial groups in U.S. agricultural and environmental systems. It approaches economic processes as organizing dynamics of racial differentiation and integration, and uses comparative experience among different racial and ethnic groups as sources of evidence against which economic theories of differentiation and integration can be tested.

ENVECON 142 Industrial Organization with Applications to Agriculture and Natural Resources 4 Units

Organization and performance of agricultural and resource markets. Conduct of firms within those markets, such as price competition, product differentiation, predatory pricing, vertical integration, dealer networks and advertising. The role of public policy in the markets. Case studies include oil cartel OPEC, agricultural cooperatives, vertical integration of food processors and franchising of fast-food chains. Discussion sections cover empirical applications of theory presented during lectures for current environmental and agricultural policies.

ENVECON 143 Economics of Innovation and Intellectual Property 3 Units

This course addresses the economics of research and incentives for innovation including intellectual property rights. Topics include the standard modern economics of invention; modern intellectual property rights; innovation examples from agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, software, and electronics; the roles of the public and private sectors; innovation and market structure; the needs of the poor; and global intellectual property negotiations.

ENVECON 145 Health and Environmental Economic Policy 3 Units

This course introduces students to key issues and findings in the field of health and environmental economics. The first half of the course focuses on the theoreticl and statistical frameworks used to analyze instances of market failure in the provision of health and environmental goods. The second half focuses on policy-relevant empirical findings in the field.

ENVECON 147 Regulation of Energy and the Environment 4 Units

This is an applied economics course on government regulation of energy with an emphasis on policies that seek to mitigate the impact of energy production and consumption on the environment. The course is designed to help students make connections between economic concepts and real world regulatory policy questions and issues.

ENVECON C151 Economic Development 4 Units

Problems of underdevelopment and poverty, policy issues, and development strategy.

ENVECON 152 Advanced Topics in Development and International Trade 3 Units

This course discusses recent efforts to understand behavior and institutions in village economies, with particular attention paid to the importance of risk. Economic analysis of savings, consumption, insurance, production, trade, welfare distribution and institutions of villages in developing countries. Roughly equal parts of theory, evidence, and policy.

ENVECON 153 Population, Environment, and Development 3 Units

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the complex interactions between population, environmental change, and economic development, including the leading theories for understanding these interactions. The origins and history of current debates are discussed as well as some of the major issues stemming from these debates, such as immigration, international trade, family planning policies and concerns over the global commons. Specific natural resources and services like fresh water, food supply, and forest cover are analyzed as case studies. Policy options for sustainable development are discussed.

ENVECON 154 Economics of Poverty and Technology 3 Units

Introduction to the economic framework underlying the use of technology to address rural poverty in developing countries. Analyzes the path of technology development from innovation and design to the adoption and use of technology in rural economies. Focuses on technologies related to agricultural production, processing, market access, value chains, and climate change.

ENVECON 161 Advanced Topics in Environmental and Resource Economics 4 Units

The roots of environmental and resource economics. Theories of land and resource rent. Models of optimal use of renewable and nonrenewable resources with applications to energy and timber. Balancing environmental and extractive values. Resources, growth, and sustainability. Special topic: the problem of global climate change.

ENVECON 162 Economics of Water Resources 3 Units

Urban demand for water; water supply and economic growth; water utility economics; irrigation demand; large water projects; economic impacts of surface water law and institutions; economics of salinity and drainage; economics of groundwater management.

ENVECON C175 The Economics of Climate Change 4 Units

The course will start with a brief introduction and evaluation of the scientific aspects behind climate change. Economic models will be developed to analyze the impacts of climate change and provide and critique existing and proposed policy tools. Specific topics studied are impacts on water resources and agriculture, economic evaluation of impacts, optimal control of greenhouse gases, benefit cost analysis, international treaty formation, discounting, uncertainty, irreversibility, and extreme events.

ENVECON C180 Ecological Economics in Historical Context 3 Units

Economists through history have explored economic and environmental interactions, physical limits to growth, what constitutes the good life, and how economic justice can be assured. Yet economists continue to use measures and models that simplify these issues and promote bad outcomes. Ecological economics responds to this tension between the desire for simplicity and the multiple perspectives needed to understand complexity in order to move toward sustainable, fulfilling, just economies.

ENVECON C181 International Trade 4 Units

The theory of international trade and its applications to tariff protection. This course is equivalent to UGBA 118; students will not receive credit for both courses.

ENVECON C183 Forest Ecosystem Management 4 Units

Introduces students to concepts and quantitative tools needed for the sustainable management of multi-use forest ecosystems. Topics covered include: estimation of ecological, economic, and social values: construction of dynamic forest models, methods for optimal decision-making, and development of forest management plans. Application to current issues in temperate and tropical forest management are discussed. Quantitative, analytical, and communication skills are emphasized. Oral presentation required.

ENVECON 195 Senior Thesis 4 Units

Writing of a thesis under the direction of member(s) of the faculty. Subject must be approved by faculty sponsor.

ENVECON 196 Senior Research Seminar 4 Units

This course is intended as a capstone experience for undergraduates in the major coordinated by one faculty member with participation by others. Following presentations by faculty on researchable topics in their areas of expertise, students will develop ideas for a research paper and discuss in subsequent seminar sessions. Approximately the last five weeks of the semester will be devoted to student presentations of papers either already completed or in progress, and discussion by seminar participants and faculty.

ENVECON H196 Honors Research 4 Units

Supervised independent honors research specific to aspects of environmental economics and policy, followed by a oral presentation and a written report.

ENVECON 197 Field Study in Environmental Economics and Policy 1 - 3 Units

Supervised experience in off-campus organizations relevant to specific aspects of environmental economics and policy. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required.

ENVECON 198 Directed Group Studies for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 3 Units

Group study of selected topic or topics in Environmental Economics and Policy.

ENVECON 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment restrictions apply. Open to qualified upper division students wishing to pursue special study and directed research under the direction of a member of the staff.

Contact Information

Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

ESPM Graduate Student Services Office

133 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-6410

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Department Chair

Ronald Amundsen, PhD

317 Hilgard Hall

Phone: 510-643-7890

earthy@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Affairs Officer

Roxanne Heglar

133 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-6410

rheglar@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Affairs Officer

Judy Smithson

131 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-1546

Fax: 510-666-3468

jsmithson@berkeley.edu

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