Woodland Conservation - Forestry

We're holding online Q&A sessions with Forestry lecturers on Facebook throughout the summer. Check the schedule for the next session.

Why study with us?

Forestry is important! Modern forestry helps reduce climate change, protects wildlife, provides us with recreation space and produces renewable natural materials and fuel. This vocational course helps you develop specialist knowledge, understanding and skills in forestry. It is suited to new entrants to forestry or mid-career foresters wanting to improve their skills.

For students not already in the industry, the one-year work placement is a chance to experience hands-on forestry work. The emphasis is on the development of forestry knowledge and the practical application of this knowledge. You can also do vocational certificate courses recognised by the industry. The National School of Forestry has strong links to all parts of the forestry sector and an extremely good record of our graduates getting jobs in forestry.

The three-year, sandwich-route mode of study provides you with the opportunity to undertake a one-year placement following year two of the programme. This will allow you to enhance and apply your knowledge in real world contexts.

Where will this course take place?

If you enrol with us in September 2013, you will have the opportunity to spend time at both our Penrith and Ambleside campuses. Each campus offers individual and distinctive advantages, providing easy access to the English Lake District with its unique geography. These exceptional locations in effect become your classroom.

All of our Forestry courses will be moving to Ambleside in September 2014.

What can this course lead to? Growing recognition of the importance of the contribution of forests and woodlands to environment, society and economy is opening up new professional opportunities for graduates nationally and internationally. Having achieved an FdSc in Forestry you can enter the forestry profession directly or you can progress to a top-up BSc Honours degree in Forestry as a one-year full-time course or a two-year distance-learning course. Resources and facilities The National School of Forestry is situated close to the market town of Penrith in Cumbria. Within a 50-mile radius of the campus are some 100,000 hectares of forests and woodlands. The University estate includes interesting lowland and upland woods of significant conservation value. We use these for practical sessions and skills training.

We are privileged to offer direct access to a wide range of habitats and forest types on-campus, including mixed broadleaf woodland, coniferous woodland, willow plantations, a young oak orchard, wetland, arable farmland and pastureland, and associated hedgerows, shelterbelts, ways, and brooks.

In addition to this variety, we also have a large (and growing!) arboretum, a tropical plant house, temperate and research glass houses, and gardens, all on site. We also have excellent new laboratory facilities. This outstanding set of resources enables many classes and field visits to be conducted just outside the lecture rooms, providing an enhanced learning environment where learning is combined with cutting-edge research.

Have a look at our learning resources for Forestry.

Entry requirements

80 UCAS tariff points

Find out more about qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: D503 UCAS points: 80 Costs

Click to view information on your study type and home location.

Full-time students

Home

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount).

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount).

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

International

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,960.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

International scholarship

If you are studying a full-time bachelor's degree (excluding teacher training and NHS-funded courses) or a top-up degree, you may be eligible for an international scholarship. The university has nine scholarships available. Find out more on our scholarships page.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

Part-time students

Home

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £3,100 per year (where the full-time option takes three years).

As a part-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £6,200 (including an automatic £800 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £3,100 per year (where the full-time option takes three years).

As a part-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

Additional contact information Find out more at http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/forestry UCAS Link

Visit UCAS

Modules

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course (PDF).

Course summary This course has been developed in consultation with representatives of forestry organisations to ensure that modules are relevant and up to date. Subjects include silviculture, biodiversity, designing sustainable woodlands and geographic information systems (GIS). A range of optional modules allows you to develop expertise in accordance with your particular interests and career aspirations; options include harvesting and utilisation, urban trees and green infrastructure. Case studies In a recent survey of our first year students we asked ‘why did you choose to study with us?’.

The top three reasons were:
The National School of Forestry name and our reputation in the forest sector
The quality of our courses
Our location

We also asked ‘what do you like most about the course?’ The top three ‘likes’ were:
The approachability of our lecturers
The variety of our course, particularly the mix of lectures and practical fieldwork
How interesting the course is.

“I like the course focus and the field trips as I hope to work in forest conservation.” Richard Anderson, year one

“Students are well prepared for employment in the forest industry; staff are approachable and supportive.” External examiner’s comment, 2006