Wood Products Degrees

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NC State’s Wood Products undergraduate program (WP) is one of only nine such programs in North America accredited to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Wood Products by the Society of Wood Science and Technology. The program offers three degrees — Wood Products Business Management, Wood Products Manufacturing & Engineering and a Wood Products Interdisciplinary option.

All WP degree programs offer substantial co-op and internship opportunities as well as numerous financial aid options,  including a dozen annual undergraduate scholarships that provide funds for tuition and books. Limited enrollment in our undergraduate program allows faculty to know students as individuals and to be personally involved with their development. In fact, student ranking of our advising program is consistently among the highest at the university. WP’s facilities are also outstanding: the machining and processing equipment found in the Hodges Wood Products Laboratory students with the opportunity for in-depth study of wood processing and hands-on operation of production-sized, computerized equipment.

Degrees

The Wood Products program is based on a material science and engineering curriculum, with wood as the primary material being studied. Wood structure, wood physical properties, wood mechanics and processing and properties of engineered wood composites are all central elements of the curriculum.  Basic sciences, calculus, economics, quality control and general education courses complete the basic core. Students can also select various options in industrial engineering, wood manufacturing, business management, or personnel management to enhance their knowledge in a specific area of interest or to prepare for their specific career goals.

B.S. in Wood Products Business Management

The Business Management option enables the Wood Products student, who is seeking a foundation in accounting, finance, marketing, and business skills, to attain these skills and also earn a minor in Business Management.  The Business Management concentration provides a concentrated exposure to business management practices, including financial and operations management, accounting practices, and marketing.  This concentration is for the Wood Products student who has career goals of owning an enterprise or having responsibility for the business operations aspect of a company and who desires to acquire business management skills to complement the technical background in wood. 

B.S. in Wood Products Manufacturing & Engineering

The manufacturing option enables the Wood Products student, who desires a strong background in industrial engineering principles, the opportunity to acquire these skills and earn a minor in industrial engineering.  The Manufacturing option provides a concentrated exposure to IE principles and practices.  This option is for the Wood Products student who has career goals are either in process and product engineering or in upper level plant management in a large wood manufacturing company.

B.S. in Wood Products Interdisciplinary option

The basic Wood Products curriculum contains 15 semester hours of advised/technical electives, as well as 9 hours of free electives.  These 24 hours of electives allow the Wood Products student to design an academic program to specifically serve the individual’s career goals.  Electives may be selected from a variety of academic areas to meet the objectives of students desiring a broad-based program instead of concentrating on a minor.  Courses might be selected from Graphic Communication, Forestry, Business Management, and Engineering.

Internships and Co-Ops

Wood Products students are required to complete a paid summer internship or a semester co-op with a company in the industry. Additionally, there are many other summer employment opportunities that are available to you beyond the required internship.

“The internship was a great learning experience.  It's one thing to hear about what to expect out in the real world after you graduate, but actually experiencing it is entirely different.  Internships generally help students decide what kind of position in the wood products industry they are interested in pursuing, and possibly more importantly, positions that they are not interested in.” 

Brian Furnas
Recent Student

Lab of various wood machining equipment

Careers

Graduates of the Wood Products curriculum have many and varied opportunities, in both the type of job as well as location.  Most graduates have more than one job offer.  Graduates enter the industry as management trainees, sales trainees, process engineers, or in quality assurance.  There is no geographical limit in career opportunities - from North Carolina to international locations. Graduates are limited only by their willingness to relocate.  Most of the wood industry understands the necessity of having young, educated individuals who understand the properties and characteristics of the material wood and are knowledgeable of the current state of technology in the industry. The average starting salary is $44,000.  Graduates usually see a rapid rise in salary as they acquire industrial experience and advance into more responsible positions.

Wood Products Mission

The mission of the Wood Products Program within the Department of Wood and Paper Science at North Carolina State University is to improve the wise utilization of forest resources for enhanced productivity and quality of life. This is accomplished by providing education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in wood products, generating knowledge and developing new technologies through research, and conducting a variety of extension and continuing education programs.

Wood Products Goals

The goal of the Wood Products undergraduate program is to provide the wood products industry with educated and technically trained individuals who are capable of providing the technical expertise and leadership necessary for the industry to meet society's needs for wood products. The following program educational objectives (PEO) support the undergraduate education component of the program’s mission statement and serve to meet the program’s undergraduate goal:

  1. To develop in students the ability to apply critical thinking skills and knowledge to solving problems related to the field of wood products.
  2. To develop the interpersonal skills needed by practitioners to be successful professionals in the wood products profession.
  3. To provide students a broad perspective of the wood industry, its relationship to society and to the environment, and an understanding of their professional responsibility to be good stewards of the wood resource.
  4. To provide an educational environment that encourages students to participate in professional activities with peers, faculty, and industrial representatives.
  5. To develop a professional attitude and ethics.
  6. To offer a program that imparts an interest and desire for lifelong education.

 

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