Name of programs
- M.Sc. Forestry
- M.Sc. Watershed Management
- M.Sc. Natural Resource Management and Rural Development
- M.Sc. Community Forestry
Objectives of programs
M. Sc. Forestry
The objective of the program is to produce well-trained and practically skillful human resources in the field of forestry to cater global needs. Specifically, the M.Sc. Forestry program will fulfill the following objectives:
- To produce high level technical manpower capable of providing services to various sectors (government, non-governmental, private) in the field of forestry.
- To produce self-reliant and skillful resource managers to plan, initiate and develop forestry- based enterprises and provide consultancy services to organizations.
- To provide knowledge and skill for conducting scientific research to address the problems and gaps in forestry.
M. Sc. Watershed Management (WM)
The objective of the program is to produce advanced human resource for leading integrated watershed management with strong technical competency of designing soil and water conservation measures, land productivity improvement and sustainable use and development of natural resources. The specific objectives of M.Sc. WM program are:
- To produce practically skillful technical manpower for analyzing, planning and implementing different approaches of watershed management intervention for climate change adaptation, land productivity and sustained water supply.
- To provide knowledge and skills for overcoming soil and water induced watershed degradation problems and build landscape ecosystem more resilient towards climate change and possible disasters.
- To produce skillful manpower for designing, planning, monitoring and evaluating soil and water conservation measures and conducting scientific research to address the problems.
M. Sc. Natural Resource Management and Rural Development (NRMRD)
The objective of the program is to produce efficient natural resource managers to handle the changing environmental conditions. The specific objectives of M.Sc. NRMRD program are:
- To provide theoretical and practical understanding on the relationship between conservation and development.
- To build capacity in planning and managing natural resources in conflicting situations.
- To empower with critical thinking and innovative practice in natural resource management.
M. Sc. Community Forestry (CF)
The objective of the program is to produce academicians and mangers in the field of community- based forest management that focuses on community forestry.
The specific objectives of the M. Sc. CF program are:
- To produce practically oriented human resources to provide expert services for community forestry management.
- To advance, disseminate and academicize the learnings of community forestry at national, regional and global level.
- To provide advance knowledge and skills for scientific research in community forestry addressing the existing and potential problems and gaps.
Program duration and academic session
All the M.Sc. Programs consist of four semesters in two academic years. First three semesters will have course works and the fourth semester is allocated for thesis work and seminars.
Admission requirements
Master of Science in Forestry
For admission in M.Sc. Forestry program, the candidates with at least a 4-years B.Sc. Forestry degree from Tribhuvan University or any university recognized by Tribhuvan University with a minimum of 50 percent marks in aggregate are eligible to apply.
Master of Science in Watershed Management (WM)
An applicant for admission in M.Sc. Watershed Management program must have at least a 4-years B.Sc. Forestry degree or B.Sc. Agriculture or B.Sc. Environmental Science or B.Sc. Environmental Management or B.E. (Civil Engineering or Agriculture Engineering or Environmental Engineering) or B.Sc. degree with major in any of the following subjects: Soil or Geology or Hydrology or Meteorology from Tribhuvan University or any university recognized by Tribhuvan University with a minimum of 50 percent marks in aggregate.
Master of Science in Natural Resource Management and Rural Development (NRMRD)
An applicant for admission in M.Sc. Natural Resource Management and Rural Development program must have at least 4-years B.Sc. Forestry degree or B.Sc. Natural Resource management or B.Sc. Environmental Science or B.Sc. Environmental Management or B.Sc. Agriculture or B.E. (Agriculture Engineering) from Tribhuvan University or any university recognized by Tribhuvan University with a minimum of 50 percent marks in aggregate.
Master of Science in Community Forestry (CF)
An applicant for admission in M.Sc. Community Forestry program must have at least 4-years B. Sc. Forestry degree from Tribhuvan University or any university recognized by Tribhuvan University with a minimum of 50 percent marks in aggregate.
Applicants from foreign countries who have studied undergraduate courses in English medium as mentioned for each program will be eligible for admission in these programs. Staff seat will be reserved only for permanent staff of Institute of Forestry who has B.Sc. degree in one of the above subjects as mentioned. Senior staff member will get priority. All applicants must pass the entrance examination administered by Institute of Forestry to be eligible for admission in these programs.
Student categories
Two categories of students are envisaged in all the master’s degree programs.
- Regular fee paying students, and
- Full fee paying students
Students must pay additional fee as determined by the respective campus administration for enrolling in GIS course. Similarly, students must pay additional fee determined by the campus administration for field visits if required. All selected students must arrange their own accommodation and the respective campus administration will not be liable to arrange the accommodation.
Entrance examination
All Nepalese applicants are required to appear in the entrance examination administered by Institute of Forestry. The syllabus for entrance examination covers B.Sc. level courses in General Science (Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology and Geology), Forestry, Watershed Management, Natural Resource Management and subjects related to the specific program’s students apply for admission. Entrance examination questions will be objective in nature. The entrance test will comprise questions from general knowledge, forestry and subject specific matters.
The merit list of applicants will be prepared based on their entrance examination scores. Foreign applicants will be selected based on their Bachelor level grades.
In case staff seats and foreign student seats remain vacant, these seats will be added to full fee paying category.
|
Programs |
Total number of seats |
|||
|
Low tuition fee |
High tuition fee | Department/Project (High tuition fee) |
International Students (High tuition fee) |
|
| M.Sc. Forestry |
12 |
7 | 4 |
2 |
| M.Sc. NRMRD |
8 |
4 | 2 |
1 |
| M.Sc. Watershed Management |
5 |
5 | 3 |
2 |
| M.Sc. Community Forestry |
8 |
4 | 2 |
1 |
Evaluation and examination system
The evaluation system is based on internal assessment, practical exam and final examination. In order to complete the course of study, students should secure at least 40% in the theory, practical and internal assessment separately. The thesis of the student will be evaluated by the Research Assessment Committee (RAC) in grade basis.
Practical will be based on the field exercise, laboratory analysis and desk work. After the completion of each practical work, student will submit the practical report in the standard format provided. The practical will be evaluated based on student’s attendance, submitted reports and viva. Field excursions (half to one day), field visit (at least one night halt), group work/assignment and presentation, case studies, individual assignments and term paper will be considered as the part of the internal assessment and will be evaluated by the responsible faculty. The responsible faculty will, in advance, notify the students the criteria of evaluation.
Students must appear in the final written examination scheduled at the end of the semester. Student cannot attend the final examinations without passing the internal assessment. After successful completion of the course, student’s performance will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Description Percentile
Distinction 80% and above
First Division 65 % to less than 80 %
Second Division 50 % to less than 65 %
Pass 40 % to less than 50 %
Fail Less than 40%
Medium and methods of instruction
The medium of instruction will be English in all M.Sc. programs offered by Institute of Forestry. A faculty member or a visiting faculty will coordinate each course in a given semester. The Course Coordinator will have full responsibility for conduction of the particular course. The methods of instruction will comprise of lectures, tutorials, laboratory works, field work, group discussions, group and individual assignments as applicable.
Course codes
Each course is identified by a code consisting of three capital letters followed by three digit numbers. The letters denote the department offering the course and the digits denote the courses offered in the year. For example, the digit 7 and 8 indicate the first and second year respectively of the master’s level course. The meaning of the course code is illustrated as follows:
FPE Forest Products and Engineering
PWM Park Recreation and Wildlife Management
SFB Silviculture and Forest Biology
SFM Social Forestry and Forest Management
WME Watershed Management and Environmental Science
Credit system
The course curriculum is organized in the overall framework of credit system. Each course has a certain number of credits that indicate the weightage. The numbers of credit depend on the contact hours of the course and its work load. A course with one credit weightage will have at least 20 lecture hours or its equivalent work and carries 25 full marks. One lecture hour may normally require an hour of lecture, three to five hours of laboratory work or its equivalent of field practical work. A practical shift should contain a maximum of 20 students for an instructor. A graduate student will earn a total of 60 credits (minimum 45 credits of course work and 15 credits including two seminars and thesis work) in two academic years for successful completion of Master of Science degree program offered by the Institute of Forestry.
Registration
Each student must register for his/her courses in each semester. The student must attempt to complete the master’s degree program in two years. The maximum time allowed for completion of any program will not exceed 5 years from the time of enrollment.