If you are interested in the environment and concerned about environmental changes. As well as adventure, and outdoor activities then you can think about making a career in the forestry field. If you want to contribute to preserving the environment so you can go for the B.Sc. Forestry.
During this course, you will study as well as you will be able to enjoy the adventure. So today we will talk about What is the BSc Forestry course and what to do after BSc Forestry course. Along with what job options you have after completing the course.
The demand for B.Sc Forestry courses has increased a lot which creates many job options in Wildlife Department, Forest Department, National Parks, and Sanctuaries. After doing this course, you become aware of saving the environment and make policies to fight climate change.
What is BSc Forestry Course?
Bachelor in Forestry Science is a 4-year undergraduate degree course that deals with the continuous supply of forest resources on behalf of sustainable development. It creates such a system that can prevent non-renewable resources. In this course, you will learn about forest mensuration, environmental study, chemistry, principal of forest soil sciences.
Also Read: BSc Medical courses after 12th without Neet
Eligibility
To take admitted to Bachelor in Forestry course, you must have at least 55% marks in your 12th class which can vary from college to college. Candidate must pass their 12th class with PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematical), and PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) or both i.e. PCMB along with English as a main subject.
Entrance Exams
Admission is also done on a merit basis in which students are shortlisted on the basis of 12th-class marks, along with this some universities accept the National Entrance Exam score, and some universities have their own entrance exam. The top BSc forestry entrance exams are:
| Exam | Conducted By |
| ICAR- All India entrance examination (AIEEA) | INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH |
| National entrance screening test (NEST) | National Institute of Science Education and Research |
| IISER aptitude test (IAT) | Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research |
| General science admission test (GSAT) | GITAM Institute of Science |
| Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) | Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology |
| Jharkhand combined entrance competitive examination (JCECE) | Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board |
If you have studied 12th class well and have a good hold in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and Agriculture subjects, then you can easily pass any entrance exam. If we talk about college then there are some top colleges to do B.Sc Forestry course
BSc Forestry Colleges
| College | Fees |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Madhya Pradesh | 58,300 |
| Institute of Media Management Technology and Agro Science, Dehradun | 1.3 lakhs |
| The University of Agriculture and Technology, Orissa | 51,100 |
| G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Patna | 76,000 |
| Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalay, Chhattisgarh | 27,000 |
| Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, solan | 21,400 |
| Himalayan Institute of Technology, Dehradun | 3 lakhs |
Fees
If we talk about fees, it depends on your college whether it is government or private, usually private colleges have more fees due to other extra facilities provided by them. But if we talking about the average total fees of government colleges is around 20,000 to 60,000 while private colleges charge 50,000 to 1.5 Lakh
Difference between agriculture and forestry
| BSc Agriculture | BSc Forestry |
| 3-year undergraduate course | 3-year undergraduate course |
| top entrance exams are ICAR-AIEEA, KEAM TJEE | GSAT, OUAT, KCET |
| agriculture is a wide branch which covers all the Environment and Forest related subjects. | Forestry is a sub-part of agriculture that mainly deals with the forest ecosystem. |
| job positions are Forest Department officer, forest officer, Nursery Manager | agriculture engineer, agriculture officer, professor, agriculture scientist |
What to do after BSc Forestry?
If you pursue your highest study in the field of forestry so you can do a master’s in Forestry i.e. MSc forestry. Along with that, you can go for government jobs based on forestry such as:
Govt jobs after BSc Forestry
IFS/ Indian Forest Service
IAS, IPS, and IFS posts come under All India Services. This exam is organized by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) once a year. IFS is a very prestigious government job after completing a bachelor’s degree in the forestry field. The minimum age for the general category is 21 years and a maximum of 32 years extra relaxations are also given for SC/ST/OBC and disabled candidates।
The major responsibility of Indian Forest Service officers is to implement National Forest policies made by governments. The salary structure of different posts are:
| POST | Salary (INR) |
| principal chief Conservator of Forest | 15 lakh per year |
| Inspector General of Forest (Chief Conservator of Forest) | 13 lakh per year |
| assistant Inspector General of Forest | 10 lakh per year |
AFO
The agriculture field officer is a scale-1 officer in banks. Their job is to take the schemes related to agriculture run by the bank and the government to the people of the rural areas. If a farmer wants to take an agriculture loan from the bank, then all the work related to that loan is managed by AFO. The recruitment of AFO is conducted by IBPS which includes two stages of examinations i.e. Written Test and Interview.
Along with this, if a farmer wants to buy farming equipment, then the file processing of providing a subsidy is also done by AFO. The salary of an AFO depends on the bank and job location but initially, it can be from 30,000 to 36,000 per month along with allowances.
Courses after BSc Forestry
Also Read: The list of courses after BSc/ Medical courses after BSc
MSc Forestry
It is a 2 years post-graduate degree course which consists of 4 semesters. Through this course, you study deeply about forestry concepts. To get admission to a top institute, you have to give an entrance exam. There are some colleges that give you admission on a merit basis but for that, your graduation marks should be above 50%.
If we talk about fees, then it can be up to 50,000 per year, while in private institutes it can be up to 1.5 lakh per year. Some top institutes are:
- Forest Research Institute, Dehradun
- Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, Coimbatore
- Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan
PGDFM
If you want to go into the field of management after doing B.Sc, then you can go for Post Graduate Diploma in Forest Management i.e. PGDFM. This is a 2 years Full-time course. This course is offered by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) Bhopal. Its fee for the general category is 7.8 lakhs and 4.7 lakhs for SC/ ST.
Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) is India’s top forest management institute which is an autonomous institute that comes under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. IIFM also offered another course which is a post-graduate diploma in sustainability management (PGDSM).
Talking about eligibility, you should have at least 50% marks in your graduation and also have CAT and XAT Qualified. After qualifying for minimum eligibility you have to sit for WAT (Written Aptitude Test) and then Interview.
PhD
If you have a lot of interest in the field of forestry, then you can take admitted in PhD after doing a master’s. There are different specializations through which you complete your Ph.D. in forestry.
| chemistry of Forestry product | climate change and forest influence | forest biotechnology |
| forest bioinformatics | forest hydrology | forest Geo-Informatics |
| Forest Genetics | non-wood forest products | Forest Entomology |
| Forest Pathology | Forest Ecology and Environment | forest psychology |
| forest botany | forest seed technology |
Eligibility for Ph.D. : A candidate must pass their master’s with at least 55 marks in aggregate; 5% extraction for SC ST candidates. Candidate must be qualified UGC NET exam (It is not the sole requirement but most colleges take admission through UGC-NET only). Top universities are:
- Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun Mizoram University, Aizawl
- Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam
- Chaudhari Charan Singh Haryana agriculture University, Hisar
- Punjab University, Chandigarh
- Dr. Yashwant Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan
Scope of BSc Forestry
After doing B.Sc Forestry, you can work in these fields on the posts of Farm Manager, Nursery Manager, and Assistant Manager, you can work in these areas:
| wildlife ranges | wildlife Research Center |
| Zoological Park | national parks and sanctuaries |
| forest nurseries | wildlife department |
| Forest Department | Indian Council of Forestry Research Education (ICFRE) |
BSc Forestry Salary
Due to the increasing awareness of the environment, the government pays attention to environmental protection. Therefore, when any project is announced, the forestry officers make policies to save environmental damage and find new ways to achieve desired goals without compromising the environment. In such a situation, you have a lot of career options in this field.
The initial Salary can be from 4 lakhs to 6 lakhs per annum depending on your job profile, skills, job type, and location.
| POST | Avg Salary (INR) |
| assistant manager | 5.8 lakhs per annum |
| nursery manager | 4 lakhs per annum |
| farming manager | 7 lakhs per annum |
| agri credit manage | 5.3 lakhs per annum |
| professor and teacher | 3-7 lakhs per annum |
BSc Forestry Syllabus
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | Semester 3 |
| Fundamentals of Geology and Soil Science | Principles of Cytology and Genetics | Forest Engineering & Survey |
| Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology | Principles of Hydrology, Soil and Water Conversation | Tree Physiology |
| Introductory Botany | Ethnobotany | Soil Survey, Remote Sensing & Watershed Development |
| Basic Mathematics | Fundamentals of Horticulture | Forest Mensuration |
| Principles of Plant Physiology | Medicinal and Aromatic Plants | Logging and Ergonomics |
| Structural Grammar and Spoken English (NC) | Agrometeorology | Tree Seed Technology |
| Elementary Statistics and Computer Application | Fundamental of Extension Education | Introductory Forest Economics |
| Chemistry and Fertility of Soils | Environmental Science | Wood Anatomy |
| Semester 4 | Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
| Principles and Practices of Silviculture | Fundamental Forest Business Management | Principles and Methods of Tree Improvement |
| Silviculture of Indian Trees | Experimental Techniques in Forestry | Forest Management, Policy, and Legislation |
| Forest Pathology | Wildlife Management | Forest Entomology and Nematology |
| Fundamentals of Wild Life | Dendrology | Agroforestry Systems and Management |
| Forest Ecology, Biodiversity & Conservation | Tribology and Anthropology | Principles of Forest Economics, |
| Wood Products & Utilization | World Forestry Systems | Project Planning and Evaluation |
| Nursery Management & Commercial Forestry | Rangeland Management | Marketing and Trade of Forest Produce |
| Wood Science and Technology | Plantation Forestry | Entrepreneurship Development and Communication Skills |
| Semester 7 and Semester 8 Project work | Silvicultural Systems | Utilization of Non-timber Forest Products |