Auburn Bulletin 2023-2024

Professional Forester Option — MNR

The Master of Natural Resources (MNR) Professional Forester option is for individuals with baccalaureate degrees in fields other than forestry and those who are interested in becoming Registered Foresters in Alabama or elsewhere in the United States.  This degree program is a two-year program which begins with a 10 week summer Field Practicum and requires a minimum of 65 semester hours of which 35 hours of specified undergraduate course work plus 30 hours of graduate course work.

The MNR Professional Forester program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). SAF is the accrediting body recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation as the accrediting agency for forestry education in the United States. Graduation from such SAF-accredited programs is required of all applicants for Registered Forester status in Alabama and several other states.

First Year
SummerHoursFallHoursSpringHours
BIOP 3391 Forest and Manufacturing Operations1FORY 3100 Dendrology3FORY 3200 Forest Tree Physiology3
FOEN 3040 Forest Surveying2FORY 3180 Forest Resource Sampling3FORY 4190 Forest Biometrics3
FORY 3020 Forest Biology3BIOP 3390 Introduction to Forest Products and Packaging3FORY 4230 Forest Ecology3
FORY 3050 Field Mensuration4FORY 3010 Forest Soils3FORY 6400 Forest Economics3
FORY 3060 Introduction to Forest Management Strategies1 Graduate Electives*3
 11 12 15
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
FORY 6150 Forest Health3FORY 6140 Forest Regeneration and Seedling Production3
FORY 6151 Forest Health Laboratory1FOEN 6700 Harvesting3
FORY 6410 Forest Management and Administration3Graduate Electives*7
FORY 6230 Silviculture4 
FOWS 5270 Natural Resource Policy3 
 14 13
Total Hours: 65

Graduate Electives Course List

CodeTitleHours
FORY 6440International Forestry3
FORY 6470GIS Applications in Natural Resources2
FORY 6480GIS Database Design and Analysis2
FORY 6650Urban Forestry3
FORY 7400Forest Valuation and Economics3
FORY 7650Forest Operations and Wood Supply Chain Management3
FOWS 6220Landscape Ecology3
FOWS 6260Forest Wetlands Restoration Ecology3
FOWS 6620Natural Resource Finance and Investment3
FOWS 7230Forest Stand Dynamics3
FOWS 7250Longleaf Pine Ecology, Management, and Restoration3
NATR 6250Wetland Ecology and Management3
NATR 6880Ecological Economics3