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Forest worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a forest worker. Forest workers usually study business, environmental science, or accounting. 45% of forest workers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 47 real forest worker resumes to see exactly what forest worker education sections show.

The most common colleges for forest workers are the Jacksonville State University and the Jacksonville State University.

There are also many online forest worker courses to help get the education required to be a forest worker.

What education do you need to become a forest worker?

What degree do you need to be a forest worker?

The most common degree for forest workers is bachelor's degree, with 45% of forest workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 25% and associate degree degree at 20%.
  • Bachelor's, 45%
  • Associate, 25%
  • High School Diploma, 20%
  • Master's, 10%

What should I major in to become a forest worker?

You should major in business to become a forest worker. 14% of forest workers major in business. Other common majors for a forest worker include environmental science and accounting.

Most common colleges for forest workers

Forest workers often get their degrees at Jacksonville State University, Northwest Christian University, and University of Connecticut. Here are the most common colleges for forest workers in the US based on their resumes.
Forest worker common collegePercentages
Jacksonville State University14.29%
Northwest Christian University7.14%
University of Connecticut7.14%
Southern Wesleyan University7.14%
Manchester University7.14%

Best majors for forest workers

Best colleges for forest workers

The best colleges for forest workers are Duke University, Northwestern University, and University of California, Berkeley.

A forest worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for forest workers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become forest workers.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

3. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

4. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for forest workers

Advertising disclosure

1. Decision Tree and Random Forest Classification using Julia

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This guided project is about glass classification using decision tree classification and random forest classification in Julia. It is ideal for beginners who do not know what decision trees or random forests are because this project explains these concepts in simple terms. While you are watching me code, you will get a cloud desktop with all the required software pre-installed. This will allow you to code along with me. After all, we learn best with active, hands-on learning. Special features:...

2. Tropical Forest Landscapes 101: Conservation & Restoration

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Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth. This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn: 1. The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors...

3. Decision Trees, Random Forests, AdaBoost & XGBoost in Python

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4.3
(856)

Decision Trees and Ensembling techniques in Python. How to run Bagging, Random Forest, GBM, Ada Boost & XGBoost in Python...

4. Decision Tree - Theory, Application and Modeling using R

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4.7
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Analytics/ Supervised Machine Learning/ Data Science: CHAID / CART / Random Forest etc. workout (Python demo at the end)...

5. Design of Transmission Line: Modelling and Performance

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This course is designed to provide a detailed exploration of the critical elements involved in transmission lines' design, modeling, and performance assessment. By enrolling in this course, participants will not only gain theoretical knowledge but also practical skills that are directly applicable in the field of transmission line engineering. Whether you're a student aspiring to enter the industry or a professional seeking to deepen your expertise, this course offers a unique blend of...

6. Predict Employee Turnover with scikit-learn

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Welcome to this project-based course on Predicting Employee Turnover with Decision Trees and Random Forests using scikit-learn. In this project, you will use Python and scikit-learn to grow decision trees and random forests, and apply them to an important business problem. Additionally, you will learn to interpret decision trees and random forest models using feature importance plots. Leverage Jupyter widgets to build interactive controls, you can change the parameters of the models on the fly...

7. ESSENTIAL Paint TREES in watercolor. Clear videos show you.

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4.5
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Paint trees in watercolor with CONFIDENCE. Clear video demos show you how to paint a variety of trees, common & exotic...

8. Conflict Resolution for Co-Workers

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4.4
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You'll learn diagnosis and resolution techniques for tense, sensitive conflicts with your co-workers, manager or peers...

9. Population Health: Governance

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How can we organise care in such a way that we optimize experience, quality and costs? What type of governance is needed? And how should healthcare organisations collaborate? These are central questions in this course. In answering them, we depart from a recognition of the impact of three crucial global shifts in health care governance: 1) the change in focus from cure to population health, 2) the increased attention to social determinants of health, and 3) the stronger involvement of...

10. Ensemble Machine Learning in Python: Random Forest, AdaBoost

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4.6
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Ensemble Methods: Boosting, Bagging, Boostrap, and Statistical Machine Learning for Data Science in Python...

11. RF Microwave & Transmission Line Theory - RAHRF200

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4.5
(578)

RF Microwave and transmission line theory with practical examples by calculation and Keysight ADS software-rahsoft...

12. Species Distribution Models with GIS & Machine Learning in R

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4.2
(520)

Mapping Habitat Suitability for Conservation Using Machine Learning and GIS in R...

13. Linux Command Line - From Zero to Expert

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4.5
(524)

Get in the rhythm of the command line as a first step towards Linux System Administration, Vo IP and many more areas...

14. VSD - Clock Tree Synthesis - Part 2

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4.2
(449)

VLSI - Building a chip is like building a city!!...

15. Active Directory and Windows Server 40+ Hour with Labs

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4.4
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Domain Controllers (DC), Global Catalog, FSMO, Groups, Users, Security, Domains and Forests ,Trusts, GPO, much more....

16. VSD - Clock Tree Synthesis - Part 1

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4.3
(856)

VLSI - Building a chip is like building a city!!...

17. Become a Command Line Power User: Windows and Linux

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4.4
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Find out how to use the command line the way it was meant to be used!...

18. Windows Command Line - Hands-On (CMD, Batch, MS-DOS)

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4.5
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Learn the Windows Command Line & Batch Scripting (CMD) - Become a Windows Command Line Expert - CMD, PROMPT & MS-DOS...

19. Linux Command Line Basics

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4.5
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This is an introductory course to the Linux command Line. It's great for both Linux beginners and advanced Linux users...

20. Applied Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Zero to Elite

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4.6
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Learn +200 modern & practical industry-proven Linux tools + project-based bash scripting from the beginning...

Top 10 most affordable universities for forest workers

The most affordable schools for forest workers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for forest workers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for forest workers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for forest workers

The hardest universities for forest workers to get into are Duke University, Northwestern University, and University of California, Berkeley.

Some great schools for forest workers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for forest workers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

4. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

7. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for forest workers

The easiest schools for forest workers to get into are Curry College, saint joseph's college of maine, and thomas more university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a forest worker without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for forest workers.

1. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

2. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

3. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

6. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Clarke University

Dubuque, IA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,058

9. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

10. Linfield College

McMinnville, OR • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,117

Average forest worker salary by education level

According to our data, forest workers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $28,600 annually. Forest workers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $28,383.
Forest worker education levelForest worker salary
High School Diploma or Less$27,353
Bachelor's Degree$28,600
Some College/ Associate Degree$28,383

Forest worker education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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