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BSc (Hons) - Forestry (Top-up)

Our BSc (Hons) Forestry (Top Up) degree is designed for those who already hold a relevant foundation degree or equivalent qualification in forestry or arboriculture. By topping up your existing qualification to a full honours degree, you’ll gain the advanced knowledge and professional skills needed to move confidently into a meaningful career where your work makes a real difference to landscapes, ecosystems, and communities.

Based at our Ambleside campus, you’ll study in the heart of the Lake District National Park – one of the most iconic natural environments in the UK. With woodlands managed for conservation, timber production, research, and recreation right on your doorstep, you’ll learn surrounded by the very forests you’ll one day help to shape. This immersive setting gives you invaluable insight into how forestry functions in the real world.

You’ll study at the National School of Forestry, benefitting from more than 50 years of expertise in educating and training award‑winning professional foresters. Through a blend of academic learning and practical fieldwork, you’ll explore the crucial role forestry plays in supporting biodiversity, sustaining rural economies, and meeting the environmental challenges of the future.

Hands-on experience is at the core of our course. With 150 hours of work experience built into your studies, you’ll develop practical skills, professional confidence, and industry awareness. You’ll also train with the latest forestry technologies, including remote sensing and drones, ensuring you graduate with the tools and knowledge employers look for.

Throughout your studies, you’ll benefit from strong industry links with the Royal Forestry Society, the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF), and a wide network of forestry organisations. The degree is accredited by the ICF, giving you a clear pathway toward achieving professional accreditation and boosting your employability as you enter this vital and rewarding sector.

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Accredited by:

Institute of Chartered Foresters

Course Overview

Study professional forestry at our National School of Forestry in the iconic Lake District National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site just minutes from our Ambleside Campus. Gain the skills to start a career in a sector crucial for biodiversity, society and the economy, with a pathway into the National School of Forestry.

On this course you will...

Develop hands-on skills with our 150 hours of work experience.
Get accredited by the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
Use the latest forestry technology, such as remote sensing and drones during your studies, to enhance your employability.
Benefits from our more than 50 years' experience educating and training professional and award-winning foresters.
Boost your employability through our excellent links with the Royal Forestry Society, Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) and many other forestry organisations.

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Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
EU / EEA / International
Course LocationAmbleside
Institute Institute of Science and Environment
UCAS CodeD501
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
Course DurationFull-time: 1 Year
Course Start PointSeptember
AwardBSc (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysAmbleside
All

Minimum entry requirements

Foundation degree or HND

Honours degree

UK Tuition fees

£9,535

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,970

Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000

Entry in academic year 2026/27

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

The only course of this type in the UK, this course allows you to further your forestry skills and develop professionally. Our course is perfect for you if you already have an HND or Foundation Degree in forestry or arboriculture and want to upgrade your skills and knowledge to obtain a BSc Honours Degree. There is also the opportunity to gain professional accreditation through the Institute of Chartered Foresters, the forestry sector professional body.

Our National School of Forestry, based in the iconic Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the ideal place to explore the science and practice of managing forests. You'll live and learn on our friendly Ambleside campus, the only university campus in a national park, and also home to the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas.

Modules

Our unique modules allow you to benefit from the practical forestry management experience of our tutors and their high-quality applied research that informs our teaching, your learning and aims to bring about positive change in the natural world.

Year one

Dissertation
You will develop objectives for a self-selected business; evaluate in a structured way the impacts upon a business and plan the resources requires. You will learn to apply a range of business tools and how to write and present a business plan.
Forest Management Planning
This module provides opportunity for students to engage in a systematic and integrated approach to objective-led forest management planning in accordance with the principles and criteria of sustainable forest management.
Business Skills
You will develop objectives for a self-selected business; evaluate in a structured way the impacts upon a business and plan the resources requires. You will learn to apply a range of business tools and how to write and present a business plan.
Woodland Conservation (Optional)
Comparing the concept of conservation to those of ecology and sustainability. Examining how British Romanticism inspired by the English Lake District landscape contributed to the start of the conservation movement alongside with developments in the USA.
Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing (Optional)
The aim of this module is to provide students with the skills and knowledge to plan and implement projects using GIS and remote sensing to solve issues in the fields of conservation and natural resources management.
Advanced Silviculture (Optional)
This module aims to develop further your understanding of silvicultural practices and their role in ensuring the productive and sustainable management of forests across a range of objectives in both temperate and tropical regions.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

A range of learning and teaching approaches are used in your course to match the way that you learn. Delivery of your course is through practical sessions in the forest and in the classroom, through lectures and seminars and through field visits. The location of the campus at Ambleside allows us to access a large area of woodland, managed for many different objectives. While most assessment is individual, there are opportunities for group-working, particularly in outdoor practical sessions where data is collected. This will help you develop collaborative and organisational skills ready for the workplace. You are encouraged to reflect on your skills development and relate it to those required in the workplace. Most foresters work in small teams and so developing social, collaborative and organisational skills is important.

How you will be assessed

Our assessment strategy means that your tutors will

Provide innovative, challenging and stimulating assessment which will enable you to develop the knowledge and professional skills required for employment.
Be student-centred, flexible and modern in both content and approach.
Be fully supported by and integrated with technological approaches such as the Blackboard virtual learning environment (VLE).
Impart academic rigour to the teaching and learning processes.
Support the development of independence, autonomy and self-reflection.
Support learners’ needs at different stages of development.

As a consequence, we employ a wide range of different assessment methods appropriate to the needs of the module and its content. The range of assessment we employ includes:

Fieldwork reports
Computer-based assessments
Problem-solving exercises (both of a practical and written format)
Devising plans, based on the collection and analysis of information
Oral, audio-visual and poster presentations
Group work
Unseen examinations
Open book examinations

Personal development and reflective practice will take place throughout the programme and will be implemented through a wide range of activities as well as via our structured personal tutorial process (see below).

Overview

A foundation degree or HND in a relevant subject.

Applicants from courses based at institutions other than University of Cumbria will be assessed on their suitability depending upon the modules they have studied.

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

Where you have received a conditional offer subject to achieving particular grades/UCAS tariff scores, and do not quite meet these scores, please try not to worry, where vacancies exist our Admissions specialists will review your whole application again and take account of any mitigating circumstances and reassess your suitability for the course.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to this course. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this course and reflect upon any experience you have gained.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here) and care leavers, offers will be made at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply)

Contact ugadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk for more information.

For 2023 entry, our contextual data and information we use in our offer making will be broadened to include applicants that are estranged from their parents, have caring responsibilities or are in receipt of or received free school meals during their secondary education. Successful participation and completion of our Future Teachers Scheme will also receive an offer lower within the tariff range.

Returning to Education

If you are over 21 and returning to study after being in relevant employment for a minimum of 3 years and do not meet the published entry requirements for Year 1 of our degree courses, please do not assume you are not qualified to join us. Our experienced Admissions and Academic staff will review your prior qualifications and professional experience to support your application.

Language requirements

Please follow the link to check language requirements for this programme here.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£9,535
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,970
Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000
Entry in academic year 2026/27

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

International Finance

At the University of Cumbria, we offer affordable tuition fees for international and EU students looking to study at one of our main four campuses. No matter your choice of course or career path, our International Team is here to support you.

Funding

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. You find information on our funding on our Student Finance Pages.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

There will be some additional costs. For example all students will need to purchase stationery and may wish to purchase some text books. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc. although such features are usually options within the course.

Books are reviewed annually and are therefore subject to change, course welcome information will provide you with an indicative list for the year.

Books and Journals

Most core text books are available via the University's library, however students may wish to buy copies of any texts used to support your learning on your course. This could cost between £50 - £100 per year.

Stationery

Students should budget for stationery and consumables for your own personal use. This should include notebooks, pens and pencils for taking notes in class and/or in the field. Students should also budget for the purchase of USB pen drives, as well as occasional printing and photocopying costs incurred in the preparation or submission of coursework. Whilst you will choose how much you need, expect to pay around £30 - £40 per year for these items.

Clothing and Equipment

You’ll be spending a lot of time out in the field, so it’s important to consider weatherproof items such as coats and trousers and sturdy walking boots. You’ll need a rucksack, ideally with a waterproof cover and plenty of warm, outdoor clothing. You might want to bring a thermal flask and a lunchbox for when you are out in the field.

Field Trips

Day field trips all costs are covered other than a packed lunch which it is expected you will provide.

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Location
Ambleside Campus
Nestled in the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ambleside campus is the perfect place for world-savers, animal lovers, and adventurers. There is never a dull moment when surrounded by such natural beauty and opportunity.
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BSc (Hons) - Forestry (Top-up)