Develop your passion for the urban environment as you learn more about sustainability, green space planning, and nature in the city. Urban Forestry is the first undergraduate degree in Canada dedicated to the planning and management of urban green spaces.
Why this program?
- Learn from professionals from the Faculty of Forestry and the School or Architecture and Landscape Architecture
- Meet practitioners in arboriculture, landscape architecture, urban planning, engineering, and nursery operations
- Choose to minor in Urban Greenspace Management or Landscape and Recreation Planning
Program information
Send details- Campus: Vancouver
- Faculty: Faculty of Forestry
- Degree: Bachelor of Urban Forestry
- Length 4 yrs
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Co-op
Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
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Honours
No
You can study intense specialization in a single field.
If you’re interested in learning about urban ecology, sustainability planning, recreation, human well-being, and forest sciences and management, Urban Forestry could be for you. Taught in collaboration with the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, this Faculty of Forestry degree teaches important and transferable skills related to:
- Smart data.
- Modelling and visualization.
- Planning and design methods.
- Community engagement and communications.
- Policy, economics, and legal and professional practice.
Experiential learning and research
As an Urban Forestry student, you’ll:
- Participate in field courses in the Vancouver area.
- Complete international case studies based on UBC research and the University’s professional networks in Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
Campus features
Located near Pacific Spirit Regional Park, UBC’s Vancouver campus is home to UBC Botanical Garden and the award-winning Forest Sciences Centre, which offers wireless study space, high-tech classrooms, and labs equipped with the latest technology.
The Faculty of Forestry also has two major research forests in British Columbia, and jointly manages a third, altogether totalling 25,000 hectares or more than 60,000 acres.
Send details
Life at UBC's Vancouver campus
Surrounded by 750 hectares of forest, UBC offers the chance to study in a forested environment. Learn from award-winning faculty members in the nature-inspired Forest Sciences Centre, whose main atrium and study area feature giant live plants and a large skylight supported by massive wood beams. As a Faculty of Forestry student, you'll also have access to two research forests for field schools and other learning opportunities.
Find out moreYour future
As an Urban Forestry graduate, you’ll have the knowledge and skills required to meet the growing demand for urban forest managers and urban forest planners. Apply what you’ve learned to help manage urban forests, make cities more livable, and make informed city planning decisions. Pursue a career as a city forester, a municipal arborist, a green infrastructure planner, a parks and recreation manager, or an urban forestry consultant.
UBC stories
“The best part of Urban Forestry is the tight-knit community between the professors and the students. Having such a small program has enabled room for these connections that I don’t think you get in many programs.”
Elliot Bellis, Student Read the full story
Program requirements
English-language requirements
English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the English Language Admission Standard.
General admission requirements
IB Diploma Programme
- Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.
IB Certificate Courses
- IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
- IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the UBC Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.
Degree-specific requirements: Urban Forestry
- IB Math Analysis and Approaches SL or HL, or IB Math Applications and Interpretations HL. (IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, are not acceptable.)
- One of IB Biology, IB Chemistry, or IB Physics
- Grade 11 or equivalent Chemistry
- Grade 11 Biology (recommended) or Physics
Note: Grade 11 Chemistry and Biology or Physics requirements listed above are only relevant to students who are not completing the equivalent IB Diploma Biology, Chemistry and/or Physics courses. For students studying outside of Canada, some examples of courses that may be accepted as Grade 11 equivalents are junior-level courses for American students, and IGCSE and O Level for those following British-patterned curricula.
Related courses
The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in Grade 11 and Grade 12.
- Language Arts
- Mathematics and Computation
- Sciences: Biology 11 or IB Biology HL or SL is strongly recommended.