Applicants hold an undergraduate degree in forestry or an allied discipline, such as environmental or biological sciences.
Program Requirements (36 units)
For the University of Alberta degree, students are required to complete a minimum of 36 units, which must include at least 18 graduate units from REN R, FOREC or R SOC at the University of Alberta and 18 graduate units from an approved European Partner program. A minimum of 10 units must be research or thesis credits. The conversion factor for the European Credit Transfer System is 1 unit = 3 ECTS.
Professional Development and Ethics Requirements
Students are required to fulfill the
GPS Professional Development Requirement
GPS Ethics and Academic Citizenship Training Requirement
). Any one of the following is acceptable:
a TOEFL (Internet-based) score of 90 for tests written before January 21, 2026; or a score of 4.5 for tests written on or after January 21, 2026; or equivalent,
an equivalent score on an approved English language examination.
All applicants are also required to submit the following
Curriculum Vitae
Research Statement Form
Three letters of reference
In addition, all applicants for the thesis-based graduate programs (MSc, PhD) must have a faculty member agree to supervise their program before admission is approved.
The Department of Renewable Resources offers programs leading to the course-based degrees of Master of Agriculture, Master of Forestry, and thesis-based degrees of Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy. The Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Business offer two course-based programs of joint study that enable students to earn both the Master of Business Administration and Master of Agriculture degrees or both the Master of Business Administration and Master of Forestry degrees, after two calendar years of full-time study. Graduate studies in the Department of Renewable Resources encompass a broad spectrum of scientific and management applications in natural and managed landscapes. Graduate studies in the Department of Renewable Resources fall within five major research themes briefly defined as: Conservation Biology, Forest Ecology and Management, Agriculture and the Environment, Reclamation and Restoration of Land and Water, and Environmental Soil Science. Thesis research is conducted within the major research themes, however, the following eight fields of study are the approved specializations for the thesis-based programs: 1) Agroforestry (MSc only) 2) Conservation Biology 3) Forest Biology and Management 4) Land Reclamation and Remediation 5) Protected Areas and Wildland Management 6) Soil Science 7) Water and Land Resources 8) Wildlife Ecology and Management. Inquiries should be directed to the Associate Chair (Graduate Programs), Department of Renewable Resources. Prospective students should note that the Renewable Resources program is integrated within the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences.