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Forestry Degree

29 schools compared · Average earnings $42,703/yr

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$42,703/yr

Avg DegreeWorth Score

46/100

AI Automation Risk

Moderate

36% task exposure

Best Schools for Forestry

Top 29 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
1	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	67 64–67	$61,142/yr	Moderate	19.2x
2	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA	65 62–65	$52,810/yr	Moderate	19.1x
3	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	63 60–64	$55,092/yr	Moderate	15.5x
4	University of Idaho Moscow, ID	61 58–61	$47,399/yr	Moderate	16.1x
5	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton, GA	61 57–63	$40,065/yr	Moderate	40.3x
6	University of Georgia Athens, GA	59 55–63	$47,214/yr	Moderate	16.2x
7	Auburn University Auburn, AL	58 56–57	$51,421/yr	Moderate	11.0x
8	West Virginia University Morgantown, WV	56 54–56	$43,228/yr	Moderate	12.8x
9	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI	56 53–58	$41,177/yr	Moderate	15.8x
10	Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA	55 54–54	$44,120/yr	Moderate	9.9x
11	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS	55 51–58	$40,219/yr	Moderate	15.8x
12	Clemson University Clemson, SC	54 55–54	$53,850/yr	Moderate	7.4x
13	Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN	54 53–53	$43,029/yr	Moderate	9.8x
14	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA	51 49–53	$45,817/yr	Moderate	9.0x
15	University of Maine Orono, ME	51 51–51	$43,901/yr	Moderate	7.7x
16	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	50 47–52	$43,842/yr	Moderate	8.6x
17	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ	50 47–53	$40,435/yr	Moderate	11.2x
18	Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX	50 50–50	$39,953/yr	Moderate	8.4x
19	Iowa State University Ames, IA	50 49–50	$39,337/yr	Moderate	9.8x
20	Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI	49 47–51	$45,571/yr	Moderate	7.4x
21	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	48 47–48	$40,314/yr	Moderate	6.7x
22	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	47 44–49	$37,539/yr	Moderate	9.4x
23	The University of Montana Missoula, MT	46 43–49	$31,138/yr	Moderate	13.8x
24	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	46 42–50	$26,838/yr	Moderate	17.8x
25	Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Paul Smiths, NY	45 42–46	$44,342/yr	Moderate	3.2x
26	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	45 43–46	$39,178/yr	Moderate	5.1x
27	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL	44 41–47	$35,398/yr	Moderate	9.2x
28	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY	42 38–45	$32,573/yr	Moderate	9.4x
29	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	38 36–39	$31,441/yr	Moderate	4.8x

Highest Earning Forestry Programs

Schools where Forestry graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score	AI Risk
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	$61,142/yr	67	Moderate
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$55,092/yr	63	Moderate
Clemson University	$53,850/yr	54	Moderate
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	$52,810/yr	65	Moderate
Auburn University	$51,421/yr	58	Moderate
University of Idaho	$47,399/yr	61	Moderate
University of Georgia	$47,214/yr	59	Moderate
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	$45,817/yr	51	Moderate
Michigan Technological University	$45,571/yr	49	Moderate
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science	$44,342/yr	45	Moderate

Best ROI for Forestry

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Forestry.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College	40.3x	$40,065/yr	61
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	19.2x	$61,142/yr	67
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	19.1x	$52,810/yr	65
University of Florida	17.8x	$26,838/yr	46
University of Georgia	16.2x	$47,214/yr	59
University of Idaho	16.1x	$47,399/yr	61
Mississippi State University	15.8x	$40,219/yr	55
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	15.8x	$41,177/yr	56
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	15.5x	$55,092/yr	63
The University of Montana	13.8x	$31,138/yr	46

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Forestry graduates earn?

Across 29 schools, Forestry graduates earn an average of $42,703 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $26,838 to $61,142 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Forestry?

Forestry is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 36% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Forestry program?

Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), North Carolina State University at Raleigh ranks #1 for Forestry with a score of 67/100 and graduate earnings of $61,142/yr.

Is a Forestry degree worth it?

On average, Forestry graduates earn 12.1x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.

About This Data

This page aggregates Forestry programs across 29 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.

The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.