Education – and students – in flux

Torgny Lind is a veteran of SLU, having both studied and worked at the university since the 1990s. After growing up in the Skellefteå area, Torgny moved south to Umeå to study for jägmästare. After a few years, he became a Ph. D. student and earned his doctorate with a dissertation on forest planning in 2000.

Torgny is a veteran pedagogue and last summer (2025) he was appointed programme director of studies (PSR) for the forest science programme; Skogsvetarprogrammet. Says Torgny:

- It’s a fun job and these are interesting times too, when forests and forestry are constantly debated. But I’m not just a PSR of course; I also teach 25 percent, work on my own research and as head of department.

The right thing at the right time

A key part of Torgny’s job is to ensure the right progression; to maintain a common thread throughout the courses. Simply put that the students learn the right thing at the right time.

- If we’re to be efficient, students should learn thoroughly – and only once. They should not have the same or similar modules again and again. This is a challenge when you combine many courses into a programme. Ideally, you also want a reasonable progression, so things become gradually more difficult. This is an important part of my job, says Torgny.  

As far as the quality of education is concerned, it’s important to continuously update the curriculum to remain relevant:

- One thing I’d like to implement more is showing what forests are good for. Not looking at forestry, economy, restorations and so on in isolation, but also its value as a renewable resource. It’s also important to include perspectives on climate and social values for example. Those weren’t nearly as common only a few short years ago.

Education and students in flux

Education isn’t the only thing that changes with the times – students do, too. They’re getting both better and worse, says Torgny.

- Students overall are very skilled. One thing they’re much better at these days, is presenting. I guess they practice it more in school than when I was young. What they’re not as good at, is reading and writing. We see that across all of society. This means we have to focus more on writing, with the support of the library.

When the students finish, what are the most common routes they take?

So far many seem to pick a master’s programme and then a jägmästare degree. After graduating, students have had a very easy time finding work in the forestry sector. I mean anything from forestry companies and owner associations to county administration and research. There are a lot of interesting routes forward.

Fewer applicants a growing challenge

SLU is currently struggling with decreasing number of applicants for some of its programmes. For Skogsvetarprogrammet, the number is so low that only about 30 percent of available positions are filled. The decreasing number of eligible applicants is noticeable already in high school, as fewer and fewer students opt for the natural sciences programmes that are required for SLU Skogsvetarprogrammet.

A “gröna basåret” supplementary programme is due to start in the fall of 2026, and the point is to give prospective students a second change.

- Our students all have a natural sciences background. So, we’re hoping that those who chose a different path in high school, and later changed their minds, will take this opportunity and apply. Obviously, there’s competition though, as similar supplementary programmes are offered by many others too, says Torgny, who has also seen a change in who actually applies to SLU’s forest-related programmes.

- Typically, our students have some sort of connection to forests and forestry. For example that they come from forest-owning families. But I feel like we’ve lost those who don’t have that background. There used to be more variation, but perhaps forestry and the entire forest sector have gotten a bit of a bad reputation lately. But there’s also tough competition from other universities, of course.

When do students typically contact you?

- When they need credits for courses not explicitly part of the programme – that’s a typical scenario. Or when something’s not working on a course, like grading or bad information. If they’re thinking about an exchange semester I’m also the person to see, and we can discuss if it would be a good fit for them. And of course anyone is welcome to suggest general improvements for whatever they want.

Text and photo: Henrik Persson

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