BSc Forestry

BSc Forestry at Tribhuvan University: Curriculum and Course Structure

BSc Forestry at Tribhuvan University (TU) is a four-year undergraduate program under the Institute of Forestry (IOF). The official 2023 syllabus is organized into eight semesters and carries 125 credits with a total of 3,125 marks. Its subjects cover forest science, silviculture, forest management, wildlife, watershed management, soil conservation, remote sensing and GIS, forest products, economics, policy, research, and related areas.

The curriculum also includes practical assessment, educational tours, two final-year electives, and a research or internship component. Students who successfully complete all requirements prescribed by the curriculum are eligible for the BSc degree in Forestry.

This page follows the Bachelor of Science in Forestry Syllabus 2023 issued by Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry. Admission-cycle information such as application dates, fees, seats, scholarships, and other notice-based details is intentionally excluded.

Answer Summary: TU's BSc Forestry curriculum covers four academic years and eight semesters. The 2023 syllabus totals 125 credits and 3,125 marks. Students study forestry and natural-resource subjects through theory, internal assessment, practical work, field tours, electives, and final-year research or internship. The final semester includes proposal defense, a 9-credit field research or internship component, and project paper or internship report presentation.

Key Takeaways

• The BSc Forestry syllabus covers four years and eight semesters.

• The 2023 curriculum totals 125 credits and 3,125 marks.

• Most regular courses carry 3 credits and 75 marks.

• The curriculum includes four educational tours across the four years.

• Final-year students select one course from each of two elective groups.

• Semester VIII contains proposal defense, field research or internship, and report presentation.

• The syllabus requires at least 70% attendance in each subject.

BSc Forestry Course Overview

The BSc Forestry curriculum combines forestry science with the study of wildlife, watersheds, soils, resource management, economics, policy, geospatial methods, forest products, and research.

The Institute of Forestry is a technical institute under Tribhuvan University. Its stated academic mission includes developing human resources in forestry and natural-resource management. The 2023 syllabus organizes the bachelor's curriculum through subject areas that range from basic sciences and silviculture to forest engineering, wildlife management, social forestry, and environmental science.

Credit and Semester Structure

The curriculum uses a credit-based structure. The syllabus states that one credit hour carries 20 contact hours and 25 marks. Regular courses generally carry 3 credits, while field tours and final-semester research components have different credit allocations.

The semester totals are:

The variation between semesters comes mainly from field tours, electives, and the final research or internship structure.

Semester-Wise BSc Forestry Subjects

The 2023 curriculum moves from basic forest and natural-resource sciences in the first year to management, measurement, policy, environmental applications, and research in later semesters.

Year 1 Semester I

The first semester carries 17 credits.

Students study:

• Forest Resources and Silvics — 3 credits

• Plant Physiology and Dendrology — 3 credits

• Forest Management I — 3 credits

• Wildlife, Protected Area and Ecotourism — 3 credits

• Geology and Soil Science — 3 credits

• Tour (Observation) — 2 credits

The semester introduces forest resources, plants, forest management, wildlife and protected areas, soils, and field observation.

Year 1 Semester II

The second semester carries 15 credits.

Subjects are:

• Wildlife Biology — 3 credits

• Forest Ecology — 3 credits

• Watershed Hydrology — 3 credits

• Silviculture and Tree Improvement — 3 credits

• Principles of Economics — 3 credits

This semester adds ecology, hydrology, silviculture, tree improvement, wildlife biology, and economics to the first-year foundation.

Year 2 Semester I

The third semester carries 15 credits.

Subjects are:

• Forest Resource Economics — 3 credits

• Forest Mensuration — 3 credits

• Forest Surveying and Engineering — 3 credits

• Wildlife Management — 3 credits

• Forest Plantations and Agroforestry — 3 credits

The semester introduces forest measurement, surveying, engineering, resource economics, wildlife management, plantations, and agroforestry.

Year 2 Semester II

The fourth semester carries 17 credits.

Students study:

• Community Based Forest Management — 3 credits

• Remote Sensing and GIS — 3 credits

• Silvicultural System — 3 credits

• Forest Management II — 3 credits

• Forest Harvesting and Logging — 3 credits

• Tour (Forest Management and Silvicultural Systems) — 2 credits

The curriculum at this stage connects forest management with community-based management, geospatial methods, silvicultural systems, harvesting, and field study.

Year 3 Semester I

The fifth semester carries 15 credits.

Subjects are:

• Statistical Methods and Experimental Design — 3 credits

• Climate Change and Forestry — 3 credits

• Forest Product Utilization — 3 credits

• Forest Law and Policy — 3 credits

• Rangeland Management — 3 credits

Students begin working with statistical methods and experimental design alongside climate, forest products, law, policy, and rangeland management.

Year 3 Semester II

The sixth semester carries 17 credits.

Students study:

• Protected Area Management — 3 credits

• Forest Protection — 3 credits

• Integrated Watershed Management — 3 credits

• Soil and Water Conservation Engineering — 3 credits

• Project Management — 3 credits

• Tour (Watershed and Forest Products) — 2 credits

This semester places greater emphasis on protected areas, forest protection, watershed management, soil and water conservation, and project management.

Year 4 Semester I

The seventh semester carries 18 credits.

Students take:

• Environmental Management — 3 credits

• Research Methodology and Scientific Writing — 3 credits

• Forest Based Enterprises — 3 credits

• Elective I — 3 credits

• Elective II — 3 credits

• Indo-Nepal Tour (Protected Areas) — 3 credits

The semester combines environmental management and research preparation with forest enterprise study, specialization through electives, and a protected-area educational tour.

Year 4 Semester II

The final semester carries 11 credits.

Its three components are:

• Proposal (Research/Intern) Defense — 1 credit

• Field Research/Intern — 9 credits

• Project Paper/Intern Report Presentation — 1 credit

Unlike earlier semesters, Semester VIII is centered on research or internship rather than a set of regular classroom courses. The 9-credit Field Research/Intern component is the largest individual credit allocation in the curriculum.

Field Tours and Practical Learning

Field training is part of the curriculum across all four academic years.

The syllabus includes four named tours:

• Year 1: Tour (Observation) — 2 credits

• Year 2: Tour (Forest Management and Silvicultural Systems) — 2 credits

• Year 3: Tour (Watershed and Forest Products) — 2 credits

• Year 4: Indo-Nepal Tour (Protected Areas) — 3 credits

The syllabus describes field training and educational tours as opportunities for students to visit research stations, educational institutions, experimental sites, and demonstration plots.

Practical work also forms part of regular course assessment. A standard 3-credit course in the semester breakdown normally carries 45 marks for external theory, 15 marks for internal assessment, and 15 marks for practical work.

Elective Subjects in BSc Forestry

The curriculum contains two elective groups in the fourth year. Students select one subject from Elective I and one from Elective II.

The syllabus states that the campus or department announces the elective courses to be offered based on student applications. Each listed elective carries 3 credits and 75 marks.

Elective I

Students select one subject from this group:

• Applied Chemistry

• Wildlife Techniques and Technology

• Applied Remote Sensing and GIS

• Ornithology and Mammalogy

• Wood Physics

• Computer Programming in NRM

NRM refers to Natural Resource Management.

Elective II

Students select one subject from this group:

• Natural Resource Management Planning

• Indigenous Knowledge in NRM

• Ecotourism Management

• Wood Science and Technology

• Non-Timber Forest Products

• Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in NRM

The two electives together contribute 6 credits to Year 4 Semester I.

Research and Internship in the Final Year

The final stage of BSc Forestry gives students a research or internship route within the formal curriculum.

The syllabus describes internship and project work as fourth-year academic components. Students undertaking project work are assigned an adviser. Project papers are based on the student's area of interest and specialization, while both project papers and internship reports are evaluated through the academic evaluation process described by IOF. Students present their completed work in a seminar.

Semester VIII assigns:

• 1 credit to proposal defense

• 9 credits to field research or internship

• 1 credit to project paper or internship report presentation

This structure gives the research or internship stage 11 credits in total.

Assessment System

The syllabus uses external examination, internal assessment, and practical examination as its main forms of semester evaluation.

It states that 60% of marks are allocated to the final theory examination and 40% to internal assessment and practical examination for courses following the standard assessment structure.

For a regular 75-mark course shown in the semester table, the distribution is generally:

Field tours and final-year research or internship courses use the separate mark allocations shown in the curriculum.

The syllabus states that students must secure 40% separately in final theory, internal assessment, practical examinations, and field training to pass the relevant requirements.

Grading and Passing Requirements

The 2023 syllabus uses a letter-grade and GPA system for the undergraduate program.

The grading scale is:

The syllabus states that a student must receive at least a 2.3 GPA, or a C grade, to pass each course. It also provides for Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) calculations based on grade points and completed credits.

Attendance Requirement

Students must attend at least 70% of classes in each subject.

According to the 2023 syllabus, failure to meet the attendance requirement may result in disqualification from appearing in the final examination.

Attendance is therefore part of the formal academic requirements of the program rather than an optional classroom expectation.

How BSc Forestry Course Codes Work

The syllabus groups courses by subject committee and uses course numbers from the 100 to 400 levels for the bachelor's program.

The abbreviations are:

The numerical part of each course code corresponds broadly with the academic level. First-year courses use 100-level numbers, followed by 200-level, 300-level, and 400-level courses in later years.

What Does the BSc Forestry Curriculum Cover?

The curriculum treats forestry as a multidisciplinary academic field rather than limiting study to trees or forest biology.

Across eight semesters, students encounter several connected areas.

Forest science and silviculture include Forest Resources and Silvics, Plant Physiology and Dendrology, Forest Ecology, Silviculture and Tree Improvement, Silvicultural System, Forest Plantations and Agroforestry, and Forest Protection.

Forest measurement and management include Forest Management I and II, Forest Mensuration, Forest Surveying and Engineering, Forest Resource Economics, Community Based Forest Management, Forest Harvesting and Logging, and Project Management.

Wildlife and protected-area study includes Wildlife Biology, Wildlife Management, Protected Area Management, Wildlife, Protected Area and Ecotourism, and the protected-area tour.

Watershed and environmental study includes Geology and Soil Science, Watershed Hydrology, Integrated Watershed Management, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Climate Change and Forestry, and Environmental Management.

The curriculum also includes Remote Sensing and GIS, Principles of Economics, Statistical Methods and Experimental Design, Forest Law and Policy, Rangeland Management, Forest Product Utilization, Forest Based Enterprises, Research Methodology and Scientific Writing, electives, and final research or internship.

For a student comparing academic fit, the subject list shows that BSc Forestry involves biological science, field study, measurement, statistics, geospatial methods, management, economics, law and policy, and research.

Degree Completion

Students who complete the requirements prescribed in the curriculum become eligible for the BSc degree in Forestry.

The syllabus states that Tribhuvan University's Controller of Examination issues the academic transcript to students who have fulfilled the program requirements.

The degree requirements therefore extend beyond completing individual theory examinations. Students must satisfy the curriculum's course, practical, field, attendance, grading, and final research or internship requirements.