General Information
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 the four major research themes of the Department briefly defined as:
- Biodiversity Conservation, which aims at understanding how biological diversity is affected by land use practices and human actions;
- Enhanced Forest Management, which focuses on intensive and ecological management practices to promote wood production and other non-timber values from forests;
- Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture, which evaluates and develops agricultural and forestry practices that ensure the sustainability of soil and water resources;
- Land Reclamation, Remediation, and Restoration, which focuses on the impact of a variety of land use activities on ecosystem function and techniques to return landscapes to a functional use. Details are provided in the Department website.
Thesis research is conducted within the four major research themes, however, the following eight fields of study are the approved specializations for the thesis-based programs: 1) Agroforestry 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. Opportunities for graduate study are also available in such fields as agroforestry, agronomy, and forest economics in cooperation with the Departments of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology and Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science. Courses and programs of study offered through these departments are listed under their respective headings in this Calendar. General inquiries should be sent to the appropriate department.
Entrance Requirements
The Department of Renewable Resources’ minimum admission requirements are an appropriate undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 in the last two years (★60) of undergraduate work (or graduate work) at the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification from a recognized institution. Where applicable, a TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based) or 88 (Internet-based) or an equivalent score on an approved English language examination is required (see English Language Requirement ).
Note: To remain in a graduate program in the Department of Renewable Resources students are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 with no grade less than C+.
Financial Assistance
Most students are either on scholarships or funded by research grants obtained by professors in the Department. A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships, administered by the Department, are available to well-qualified candidates. Exceptional applicants will be nominated by the Department for MSc and PhD recruitment scholarships offered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
Graduate Courses
Graduate courses can be found in Course Listings . Courses offered by the Department of Renewable Resources include those under the following subject headings:
Environmental and Conservation Science (ENCS)
Forest Science (FOR)
Forest Engineering (FOREN)
Renewable Resources (REN R)
Soil Science (SOILS)