PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management

Program Overview

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PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management

Programme Overview

The PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management at the University of Sopron is designed for researchers and professionals seeking to contribute to the sustainable management and conservation of forests, wildlife, and natural ecosystems. Offered by the prestigious Roth Gyula Doctoral School of Forestry and Wildlife Management Sciences, this program provides a rigorous academic foundation combined with hands-on research opportunities.

With eight specialized PhD programs covering diverse fields such as forest ecology, resource management, geoinformatics, and environmental pedagogy, students gain interdisciplinary expertise while working closely with industry-leading academics and researchers.

General Information

• Duration: 4+4 semesters
• Tuition fee: 1850 USD / semester
• Study mode: full time
• Intake: September
• Application period - self financed:
  • Middle East and Africa, South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal): May 30
  • Central, North, Eastern, Southeastern Asia, Latin America: June 30
  • Europe: July 30
• Application period - Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship: mid November - mid January
• Language of Instruction: English
• Faculty: Faculty of Forestry

About Roth Gyula Doctoral School

Established in 1993, the Roth Gyula Doctoral School of Forestry and Wildlife Management Sciences is the only PhD school in Hungary dedicated exclusively to forestry, wildlife management, and conservation sciences. Accredited by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, the school brings together experts from the Faculty of Forestry, the Forest Research Institute (ERTI), and other research institutions.

Doctoral students benefit from state-of-the-art research laboratories, field stations, and international collaborations, ensuring they gain advanced knowledge and skills applicable to academic, government, and industry careers in environmental sciences.

Program Goals

The PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management aims to:

• Foster cutting-edge research in forest ecology, resource management, wildlife conservation, and geoinformatics.
• Equip students with advanced skills in environmental analysis, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem sustainability.
• Prepare graduates for leadership roles in academia, research institutes, and policy-making organizations.
• Develop innovative methodologies for forest and wildlife management, geoinformatics, and nature conservation.

Specialization Areas

1. Ecology of Forest Ecosystems & Biological Foundations of Forest Management

Research focuses on forest biodiversity, climate adaptation, ecosystem stability, and sustainable forest management. Topics include soil microbiology, botany, dendrology, and genetic processes of woody plants.

2. Forest Resource Management

Analyzing forest stock characteristics, financial sustainability, and legal frameworks, this specialization integrates forest economics, planning, and policy analysis.

3. Forest Technical Knowledge

Students study forestry mechanization, energy tree plantations, water management, and road construction using advanced measurement and experimental techniques.

4. Wildlife Management

Focusing on game conservation, hunting management, wildlife health, and sustainable habitat development, this specialization includes trophy assessment, ballistics, and wildlife forage ground research.

5. Nature Conservation

This track addresses global environmental challenges and their application to Hungary, promoting conservation strategies, biodiversity protection, and policy development.

6. Geoinformatics

Students gain expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and land management for applications in forest monitoring, land-use planning, and precision forestry.

7. Forest and Environmental Pedagogy

A multidisciplinary field combining natural and social sciences, this specialization prepares students to develop educational methodologies for environmental awareness at all levels of education.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management program can pursue careers in:

• Academic and Research Institutions – University faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral scholars.
• Government Agencies – Forest and wildlife conservation authorities, environmental policy advisors.
• International Organizations – Roles in the United Nations, IUFRO, FAO, WWF, and other global conservation bodies.
• Private Sector and NGOs – Environmental consulting, sustainability management, forest certification bodies.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the University of Sopron's English-taught PhD programs must submit:

1. MA/MSc Certificate: Provide a copy in English or German.
2. Passport Copy: Ensure it is clear and valid.
3. Proof of English Proficiency:
   • A valid English proficiency certificate at B2 level or higher, such as TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English Qualifications (FCE or higher), Oxford Test of English (OTE) or other internationally recognized English tests, or
   • Medium of Instruction Certificate, if your MSc or BSc was completed in English.
   • Note: Native English speakers are exempt from this requirement.
4. Application Fee Payment Confirmation: Upload the receipt.
5. Research Plan and Proposal: Provide a detailed research plan.
6. Scientific and Publishing Activity: Submit documented evidence of prior academic contributions.
7. Additional Documents: Include recommendation letters, motivation letter, and/or a CV. Important: If any document is not in English or German, attach a certified translation.

Program Outline

Outline:

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The PhD in Forestry and Wildlife Management

program at the Roth Gyula Doctoral School of Forestry and Wildlife Management Sciences encompasses all the branches and interfaces of forestry and wildlife management sciences. The program offers eight doctoral programs:

• E1 Ecology and Diversity of Forest Ecosystems
• Research on the composition, structure and inter-actions of forest ecosystems is part of the program.
• Geographical conditions vital for forest management and the requirements for maintaining sustainable management and preserving the stability of ecosystems are identified.
• The main areas of research are: site conditions of forest stands, hydrology, climatic conditions, and the diversity of forest ecosystems, such as soil microbiology, physiology, botany and dendrology, species composition, structure, dynamics and inter-relations of ecosystems, and the evolutionary and genetic processes of woody plants.
• E2 Biological Basis of Forest Management
• The doctoral program teaches sylviculture, production of seed material, wildlife management, forest protection (including pathology and zoology), adopting the latest experimental and research findings, related both to plantation forestry and to nature-oriented management.
• E3 Forest Assets Management
• The subject is concerned with the analyses of the stock type characteristics of forests and forestry processes in natural and financial terms, as well as the harmonisation of the legal and economic regulations with forestry interests.
• Disciplines of the forest assets management programme are: forest management planning, computer science applied to forestry, forest and hunting rights, forestry history, hunting law, economics for forest and wildlife management (forestry accounting and finance, forest and damage assessment, and sales and marketing policy).
• E4 Forest Technology
• This PhD sub–programme provides a comprehensive, scientific approach to the technical implementation of forestry policies (mechanisation, energetics, forest utilisation, opening-up and water management) based on measurements and experiments.
• It deals with the improvement of mechanisation in reproductive material production, sylviculture, forest and timber utilisation, and with the development of mechanisation in energy tree plantations, the connection between mechanisation and environment protection, wood for energy production, planning, organisation and technology of forest utilisation, topics of opening-up and water management as well as with forest road construction and maintenance.
• E5 Wildlife Management
• In the doctoral program, students deal with the forest, field and water ecosystems and their species and communities of species.
• The research topics embrace all the areas of open field game conservation and management and all the fields of hunting, as well as all the related sciences such as the kennel, gun ballistics, trophy assessment, wildlife health, game management in closure, wildlife forage ground and game feeding, economics and history of the science.
• E6 Nature Conservation
• The Nature Conservation course aims at the implementation of a scientific programme that monitors international strategies addressing natural challenges of global issues and their effective application to Hungary.
• The programme encourages nature-conscious development and experiments in the national conservation practice, while strengthening scientific grounds of professional and political efforts.
• It will involve a talented new generation in the innovative research.
• It aims to educate experts who are not only professionals, receptive to theory, but experts with positive values of life and healthy ecosystems.
• E7 Geoinformatics Programme
• The rapid development of GIS, the expansion of satellite monitoring and positioning methods led to the initiation of a separate Geoinformatics programme at the Doctoral School.
• It offers courses and research opportunities in the field of land management, surveying and geoinformatics, mainly related to agricultural management and land use, including the application of the modern technical tools of thematic modelling, remote sensing and mapping.
• E8 Forest and Environmental Pedagogy Programme

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Careers:

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Knowledge and the degree gained at the Doctoral School are a good reference when applying for leading positions in:

• Higher education institutions
• Research institutes
• Forestry
• Wildlife management
• Conservation

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Tuition fee: 1850 USD / semester