There are two general areas of research interests within our graduate programs:
1) Forest Sciences including Forestry, Forest Ecology and Management, and Wood Science
2) Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
The following is a description of these two areas and degrees offered within each of these areas.
- Forest Sciences -
Students interested in forest sciences come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including areas such as biology, zoology, agricultural sciences, wildlife, geology, entomology, pathology, soil science, microbiology, applied mathematics, physics, and chemistry. They are interested in working in either the public or private sector with rewarding careers in such areas as forest ecology, forest soils, silviculture, tree improvement, forest wildlife ecology and management, economics, inventory, geographic information systems, growth and yield, wood science and forest biology.
Individual student programs vary according to the backgrounds and career objectives of the students. Programs of study are developed to include courses in a particular career area coupled with a strong quantitative background. While in graduate school, students are encouraged to attend national conferences, local seminars, and to interact with scientists from the nearby USDA Forest Service research station and Isle Royale National Park.
We offer four Masters degree programs and one PhD degree program in the area of Forest sciences. They are as follows:
Master of Science in Forestry
Master of Science in Forest Ecology and Management
Master of Science in Applied Ecology
Masters of Forestry (Professional degree) <more information>
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Science
We also have a directed program for potential Peace Corps volunteers:
Master’s International Program in Forestry
Note: Any student in these directed programs can elect to get a degree in one of the MS degree programs listed above.
Potential topic areas within our degree programs are:
Agroforestry
Biogeochemistry
Biometrics
Community Forestry
Conservation Biology
Ecological Modeling
Ecophysiology
Ecosystem Ecology
Ecosystem Science
Environmental History
Environmental Policy
Environmental Studies
Forest Ecology
Forest Entomology
Forest Management
Forest Pathology
Forest Soils
Forestry and International Development
Geographic Information System (GIS)
Global Change Biology
Landscape Ecology
Plant Ecology
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Ecology
Mycorrhizal Community Dynamics
Mycorrhizal Ecology
Ornithology
Remote Sensing
Restoration Ecology
Silviculture
Soil Ecology
Tropical Ecosystems
Wetland Ecology
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wood Chemistry
Wood Composites
Wood Decay and Preservation
- Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology (FMGB) -
Graduate students interested in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including such areas as forestry, biology, zoology, microbiology, agricultural sciences, wildlife, entomology, pathology, soil sciences, applied mathematics and statistics, computer science, physics, and chemistry. These graduate degrees emphasize intensive hands-on molecular biology research matched with excellent laboratory, greenhouse, and field trial facilities, producing a student with a solid understanding of growth and developmental processes in trees and other life forms. Study prepares students for leadership in either the public or private sector with career development in the fields of biotechnology, molecular medicine, molecular genetics, forest and ecological genetics, and forest bioinformatics.
Individual student programs vary according to the backgrounds and career objectives of the students. Programs of study are developed to include courses in a particular career area coupled with a strong background in laboratory methods. While in graduate school, students are encouraged to attend national conferences, local seminars, and to interact with scientists from the nearby USDA Forest Service research station and Isle Royale National Park. Most of our faculty are also members of Biotechnology Research Center, a campus-wide biotechnology research network.
Graduate studies in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology research leads to the following degrees:
Master of Science in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
Potential topic areas within our programs are:
Bioinformatics
Biotechnology
Cellulose biosynthesis
Climate Change and forest productivity
Control of flowering
Demographic and genetic elements of population biology
Phenylpropanoid metabolism
Functional genomics
Gibberellins metabolism and signal transduction pathways
Molecular regulation of growth and defense tradeoffs
Lignin biosynthesis
Microarray and metabolite profiling
Molecular biology of adventitious and lateral root formation
Molecular ecology
Mycorrhizal community dynamics
Secondary metabolites
Small RNA (microRNA) regulation of wood formation
Wood Formation
Woody plant tissue culture and transformation
