Like the mapmaker, we as education providers need to update the map when there are new needs. Just as maps show a selection of details depending on the purpose of the map, no education can cover everything. In the forestry sector, the demand for both broader and deeper skills has become increasingly apparent. Some voices are calling for specialists with deep knowledge, while others see a greater need for many more people with shorter forestry degrees for the many field-based jobs that exist. In addition, another aspect of reality must be taken into account, which is just as important: the preferences of prospective students. What educations appeal to them? What do they want to do with their lives and what makes them choose a program? Our challenge at SLU has been to balance these different interests and needs and to draw a well-balanced new educational map based on the reality we encounter.
By changing the educational structure and portfolio, we have adapted to changes in society and the needs of the sector. The five-year long program that directly led to a Master of Science in Forestry (Jägmästarprogrammet) had its last intake in autumn 2020, and as of autumn 2021, the S-faculty has four different programs at the bachelor's level, with their own niches (see table below). The educational opportunities are broadened as we have now increased the number of three-year forestry programs that more prospective students are eligible to apply for, and at the same time we open up the possibilities to study forestry in more locations.
As a result of the change, SLU is now educating around 30 percent more forestry students than five years ago. Even more students could be educated, but unfortunately there are not enough applicants for the bachelor's programs that have the most demanding admission requirements.
Table: SLU's forestry programs at Bachelor level. Click for a larger image. To read more about the programs - see links in the fact box below. Table in Swedish.
The new program structure is the result of hard work by dedicated and committed teachers and administrative staff. Together with the increase in the number of places available, it broadens the base of the competence pyramid just as the sector has long demanded. When we add the Linnaeus University’s distance graduate program to the total, we can see that there are now significantly more places on and graduates from “shorter” higher forestry education programs compared to about 10 years ago (see more in the fact list below).
In addition to more students, the new program mix also provides a more diversified student group. It is now possible to start studying forestry at SLU directly after having studied the most popular high school programs focused on social sciences and economics. To study at Linnaeus, the requirements are even lower since it is enough to have a general university entrance qualification. Prospective students seem to have discovered and liked the new opportunities, as the programs with lower admission requirements have better application rates (applicants in relation to available places) and hence also better fill their places.
But no map is perfect, and reality changes all the time, just as nature does. The broadening we have undertaken has its challenges, and some of today's societal trends may affect our programs. Programs with higher admission requirements, such as the Skogsvetar program, have difficulty in filling their places, which threatens the sector's access to scientific excellence. At the same time, places on programs with lower requirements are being filled. Taken together, this could have a negative impact on the sector's future competence mix.
We need to ensure that there are enough students willing and able to take on the more advanced programs and then contribute to solving the sector's future challenges. Unfortunately, the trend is that fewer and fewer young people are choosing the natural science program at high school, even though the number of high school students is increasing significantly. Competition with other natural science focused university programs is thus intensifying. Some additional societal trends that may also negatively affect the applications to our programs are that fewer people continue studying after high school, and those who do are less likely to move far away. However, there are also positive aspects, such as the fact that despite - or perhaps because of - the pandemic, 9 out of 10 people still prefer campus-based university education to distance learning. Another recent positive news is that the Swedish Higher Education Authority recommends that SLU be granted rights to give Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degrees, based on a suggested program focusing on forestry and agriculture.
With the expertise and commitment on the faculty's four campuses, we are well equipped to continue developing our programs, and to provide our students with the tools they need to shape the future of forestry. Just as a map shows the way, our programs will pave the way for new generations of forestry experts in different specializations and educational levels, who with their knowledge, professional skills and new ideas will take on the challenges of the future.
Facts about admission to forestry programs
- SLU educates the most students and has the most programs in the field of forestry.
- At the bachelor's level, SLU offers four different forestry programs. At the master's level, we have six programs.
- Each year, SLU has about 130-140 students who start our four programs at the bachelor's level. In total, there are 170 places, but two programs, the Skogsmästar och Skogsvetar programs, are not filled.
- The Skogsmästar program enroll about 50 students annually, but could enroll about 60. To enter, students must have a forestry high school education and forestry work experience - or have complemented their competence by studying SLU's foundation forestry year.
- The Skogsvetar program, which has the same requirements as the previous 5-year-long Jägmästar program had, fills less than half of its places this year (23 out of 50). To get in, you need a natural science program in high school, or supplementation through, for example, a natural science foundation year.
- There are more forestry students being educated today than just over 10 years ago, and the competence pyramid has been reversed. Just over 10 years ago, there were about 45 places at the bachelor's level (Skogsmästare and Skogstekniker) and about 80 at the master's level (Jägmästare). Today, there are a total of about 270 places at the bachelor's level at SLU and Linnaeus University. On SLU's campus programs, between 80-90 percent complete the education, while just over half complete Linnaeus' distance-based bachelor's programs.
- Based on how the programs are filled and completed, there are about 180 students who annually complete their studies at the bachelor's level.
- Of those who completed the bachelor's programs at SLU and Linnaeus this spring, about 30 percent continue their studies at the master's level. How many continue their studies at master's level differs between the programs. From the Skogsmästar program and Linnaeus program, there are few who continue their studies. From the Skogsekonomi and Forest & Landscape programs, about 60 percent have applied to continue their studies this fall. From the Skogsvetar program, all but one applied for a master's program.
Ola Lindroos, Vice Dean for Education
