Wood Products

at UBC's

Vancouver Campus

If you're innovative, and you enjoy engineering and problem solving, Wood Products could be for you. This award-winning program fuses science, engineering, and business and is a major in the Bachelor of Science in Nature Resources degree.

Why this program?

  • Study at Canada’s national centre of excellence for wood products
  • Choose to minor in Commerce
  • Get involved with innovative projects or participate in co-op
  • Learn in an award winning program, the Yves Landry Foundation Award for the Most Innovative Manufacturing Technology Program at the University Level, and the Alfred Scow Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and Learning Environment at the University of British Columbia
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Program information

  • Campus: Vancouver
  • Faculty: Faculty of Forestry
  • Degree: Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources
  • Length 4 yrs
  • Co-op Yes
    You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
  • Honours No
    You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of wood science, business, and advanced manufacturing operations, while developing transferable skills in problem solving, communication, leadership, and teamwork.

After completing foundational courses in math, physics, and chemistry in first year, you’ll begin developing your knowledge of wood and material science and primary and secondary wood processing technologies. In senior years, you’ll learn how to analyze and optimize manufacturing operations. In your final year, you’ll focus on an area of interest with a major project.

Experiential learning and research

As a Wood Products student, you’ll:

  • Enjoy access to UBC’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, a $2 million wood products manufacturing facility.
  • Gain hands-on experience at the faculty’s extensive machine laboratory.
  • Participate in a one-week tour of BC wood products manufacturing operations.
  • Complete a major project in your final year.

Campus features

The award-winning Forest Sciences Centre on UBC’s Vancouver campus 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.

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.

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Your future

Pursue a career in material science, engineering, computer science, material processing, wood finishing, product design, quality control, or sales and marketing – or go on to graduate studies in wood science, finance and business, building construction technology, or medicine.

As a Wood Products graduate, you’ll be highly sought after by employers and able to secure entry-level and middle-management positions with excellent starting salaries and opportunities for advancement. Begin your career as a business analyst, a design engineer, a production manager, a process control analyst, or a product developer.

Program graduates

  • Engineering and Product Development Manager, Superior Cabinets
  • Production Control Manager, Structurlam Products LP
  • Sawmill Production Superintendent, Chetwynd Forest Industries
  • Analyst, FPInnovations

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: Natural Resources

  • 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 (see Related courses below)
  • Grade 11 or equivalent Chemistry
  • Grade 11 Biology (see Related courses below)
  • If you intend to major in Wood Products or specialize in Harvest Planning and Engineering (Forest Operations), Physics 11 is strongly recommended.

Note: Grade 11 Biology, Chemistry and 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: Calculus is recommended for the Harvest Planning and Engineering specialization.
  • Sciences: Biology 11 or IB Biology HL or SL is strongly recommended for all majors and specializations. IB Physics SL or HL is also recommended for the Wood Products major and the Harvest Planning and Engineering specialization.

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