Bachelor’s in Forestry and Ecosystems Management

The demand for qualified personnel in public and private forestry operations is huge. In the long term, there will continue to be a great need for Bachelor's graduates, meaning that this degree program in Forestry offers exceptionally good career prospects.

Since Winter Semester 2019/2020, we have also been offering a degree program with integrated work placements - the Bachelor’s in "Forestry and Ecosystems Management - Cooperative Degree".

The profession

Using wood sustainably as a renewable raw material, safeguarding its protective effects on water, soil and air pollution control, ensuring a high level of biodiversity and providing important areas for recreation - these are just a handful of examples of our diverse range of responsibilities. Foresters are increasingly using the latest information, communication and process technologies to carry out their work. Decisions must be made in the face of conflicting economic, ecological and social considerations, and their long-term effects must be weighed up responsibly.

The high demands of this area of work are rooted in the need to manage and shape the natural life processes of plants and animals in such a way that they efficiently serve the various needs of their owners without them experiencing any significant drawbacks.

In addition to traditional forest and game management and administrative duties, the modern job description of a forest engineer increasingly includes specific aspects of business management, functional planning, distribution logistics and socio-cultural issues.

The Bachelor’s degree program is modular in structure. The course content taught and its associated objectives are described in the module catalogue. The curriculum provides information on when the specific modules are to be taken during the Bachelor's course.

The program regulations form the legal basis for the respective degree program and include the general academic procedures and examination regulations. It also sets out the criteria under which a student can enrol on the degree program, how it is structured and how students' knowledge is assessed.

Application period

15.05. - 15.07.

Entry requirements

Admissions are restricted for this degree program (“numerus clausus” - NC).

In addition to the general admission requirements, students have to do a pre-study placement of at least eight weeks for the Bachelor's degree program in Forestry and Ecosystems Management.

Please note: This degree program is taught in German and therefore requires all students to have at least C1 level German skills. More information on applying to FH Erfurt as an international student can be found here.

Commencement of studies

The degree program can only be started in the winter semester.
The winter semester starts at the beginning of October.

The future is in your hands

Our Bachelor's graduates work as service providers for society, for forest owners or as freelancers. However, their most important “employer” is the forest itself. Today, whatever the job in question, there is a stronger focus on functional roles, particularly in management, controlling and consulting.
This requires us to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and specialist fields. In addition to professional expertise, loyalty and social skills are essential when it comes to tackling day-to-day tasks.

Main areas of work for our graduates:

• Managing forest districts in the public or private sector
• Administrative duties as clerks in public authorities responsible for forestry, hunting and fishing, plant protection, environmental protection and nature conservation
• Forest-related service companies (engineering offices, logging companies, tree maintenance and trail building contractors, landscape conservation organizations, etc.) at management and team level
• Consultancy work in the fields of forestry, hunting and nature conservation
• Timber procurement and logistics in the timber industry
• Consultancy work in the field of environmental policy
• Public relations, forest pedagogy, educational work relating to the environment and forestry in particular
• Managing game reserves, climbing parks and other nature-related leisure facilities
• Environmental and nature tourism
• Vocational training (forestry apprentices)