The School of Renewable Natural Resources offers a variety of forestry and forest products-related research areas for students to explore during their pursuit of a Ph.D. degree in Forestry. The faculty listed below look forward to working with dedicated, high-quality, research-oriented students to address research problems and increase scientific information useful in managing, sustaining and protecting our forest ecosystems and their productivity. Please call or e-mail faculty members in your areas of interest to discuss how you might be a part of our Ph.D. research program. Renewable natural resource research needs are changing dramatically. We are seeking highly talented Ph.D. students interested in helping to resolve problems and expand our knowledge of forest ecosystems and their products. We hope you will have an interest in our research program. Below are the general requirements for students seeking a Ph.D. in a natural resource-related program.
Forestry and forest Products
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Quang Cao |
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mensuration, forest biometrics |
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Jim Chambers |
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forest ecology, tree physiology, silviculture |
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S. Joseph Chang
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forest economics, wood products utilization and marketing |
| Thomas J. Dean |
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quantitative silviculture, production ecology, stand dynamics |
Hallie Dozier
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forest and natural resource ecology, ecology and management of biological invasions, urban forestry |
| Cornelius de Hoop |
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environmental safety and business in forest products |
Richard Keim
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hydrology of forested wetlands |
Zhijun Liu
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tree physiology, cultivation of medicinal plants, and micropropagation |
| Todd F. Shupe |
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wood durability, closed loop recycling of treated wood, wood composites, bio-energy |
| Richard Vlosky |
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domestic and international wood products marketing, technology applications to improve wood products business competitiveness |
| Qinglin Wu |
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wood drying, wood moisture relationships, hygroscopic shrinkage and swelling of wood, wood composite materials to economic development, value-added opportunities |
| Yi - Jun Xu |
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hydrologic and biogeochemical processes and modeling |
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Coursework
A student must be certified as qualified, and a "Program of Study" approved by the advisory committee and submitted to the Graduate School, before registering for dissertation credit. The "Program of Study" will include coursework based on the chosen major and minor disciplines, area of interest in research, previous coursework and performance on the qualifying exam. The "Program of Study" must have written approval of the full advisory committee.
At least 48 semester hours of graduate credits (exclusive of credits in RNR 8000 and 9000 ) plus 9 credits for dissertation research (RNR 9000 ) are required for the Ph.D. degree. This includes transfer credits from accredited institutions approved by the advisory committee (these credits are not listed on the official program of study since Graduate School has no provision for transfer credit for Ph.D. students). The following courses must be completed or evidence of their equivalency determined by the full advisory committee to meet requirements for the Ph.D. in forestry:
EXST 7004 or 7005 - Experimental Statistics I (4 hrs)
EXST 7014 or 7015 - Experimental Statistics II (4 hrs)
RNR 7001 - Research Methodology (3 hrs; to be taken in the first semester it is available to the student)
RNR 7071 - Graduate Seminar in Forestry (1 hr; two semesters required)
Some specialty areas in forestry require a background in forestry for completion of a Ph.D. degree. Therefore, students who do not have an undergraduate degree in forestry may be directed by their committee to include some basic, undergraduate forestry courses in their program of study or to demonstrate, through independent study, an acceptable knowledge of forestry practices in the southern United States at their general examination. Typical undergraduate coursework could include all or part of the following:
RNR 2001 - Dendrology (3 hrs)
RNR 2043 - Wood Science and Forest Products(3 hrs)
RNR 3002 - Silviculture (4 hrs)
RNR 3034, 3035, 3036, 3037,3038, 3039, 3041, 3044 - Spring Field Studies (8 hrs)
RNR 4036 - Forest Management (3 hrs)
For more information refer to our Graduate Handbook
To request an application package, contact:
D. Allen Rutherford
Director, Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Research