What Are Foresters Taught? An Analysis of Undergraduate Level Forestry Curricula in Türkiye

Abstract

As the forestry profession evolved from extractive management to sustainable forest management, forestry education and curricula had to reflect these changes. While forestry education and curriculum have been extensively analyzed for different countries, no such analysis exists for Turkish forestry. This study analyzes the curriculum and course contents of all undergraduate-level forest engineering programs across Türkiye. The study employed content analysis to explore disparities among the schools. The courses are classified into disciplinary fields depending on their contents. Verbs used in learning outcomes were analyzed using Bloom’s taxonomy. Mandatory and elective requirements of forestry programs are quite similar, indicating little disparity among schools in different regions. Course categorization reveals that forestry education emphasizes biophysical and technical sciences. Learning outcomes focused heavily on the low-level thinking dimensions of Bloom. We conclude that the Turkish forestry curriculum needs a reformative change to equip students with skill sets to practice sustainable forest management.