Lead the Urban Forest Future

Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population live in an urban area. As this number continues to grow, trees are an increasingly critical resource for ecosystem services, city aesthetics, human health, and community wellness and cohesiveness. This certificate helps prepare students for careers that involve the interactions of trees and people in urban and suburban communities. Students seeking careers involving urban spaces, such as those in public health, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and environmental education, will benefit from this certificate.

Program Requirements

To complete the Urban and Community Forestry certificate, students must successfully complete 14 credit hours. All certificate students must take UCF 300, UCF 400, and nine credits of 200-level or greater of approved electives. Course substitutions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

UCF 300 Urban and Community Forestry
This course will introduce students to core concepts related to urban and community forestry. It seeks to provide a solid foundation in how trees in cities function, how they benefit communities, and how they can be better supported. This course will consist of an introduction to urban and community forestry including modules such as (1) trees and tree health, (2) green infrastructure, planning, and design, (3) environmental education, and (4) trees, human health, and wellness (3 credits) Prereq: Sophomore standing or higher, or approval of instructor

UCF 410 Urban and Community Forestry Capstone
Completing this course will prepare students to work with the public and make a difference in people’s daily lives. Students in this course will synthesize cross-disciplinary concepts related to urban and community forests and be provided with real-world experiences to strengthen their knowledge base. This course will build upon UCF 300, facilitating student specialization in their field of study while applying topics across different disciplines and careers that connect to urban and community forests. (3 credits) Prereq: UCF 300

Electives

  • CPH 310 Fundamentals of Epidemiology
  • ENT/FOR 502 Forest Entomology
  • FOR 219 Dendrology
  • FOR 330 GIS and Spatial Analysis
  • GEO 285 Introduction to Planning
  • HRT 320 Woody Horticultural Plants
  • HRT 451 Landscape Maintenance
  • LA 307 Cultural Landscape Preservation
  • LA 345 Design with Plants
  • LA/NRE 355 Introductory Geospatial Applications for Landscape Analysis
  • NRE 365 Environmental Education
  • PLS 366 Fundamentals of Soil Science
  • SOC/CLD 360 Environmental Sociology
Dr. Kenton Sena will be hosting a tree-planting for his Ecology of Middle-earth class and Environmental and Sustainability Studies on April 16, 2024.

Admission Instructions

  • Submit a request through myUK to add the Undergraduate Certificate in Urban and Community Forestry as an “additional major”.
  • Once your request has been processed, you will receive an email outlining the next steps.
  • Navigate to UK’s Undergraduate Application Portal
  • Apply to UK with a “Non-Degree Application”.
  • On the “Applicant Information” page under Applicant Type, select “Certificate”.
  • Under Program of Study, select “Certificate in Urban and Community Forestry”.
  • Navigate to UK’s Undergraduate Application Portal
  • Apply to UK with a “Non-Degree Application”.
  • On the “Applicant Information” page under Applicant Type, select “Visiting Student”.
  • Under Program of Study, select “Agriculture, Food and Environment – Non-Degree”.
  • Email cafeadvising@uky.edu and request to enroll in the Urban and Community Forestry Certificate upon admission.

Living Learning Program

The Living Learning Program (LLP) supports student success by placing students with similar interests into smaller communities in particular residence halls.

Academic Enrichment

Our college believes in learning by doing. Our students are required to complete at least one type of experiential or hands-on learning opportunity, such as undergraduate research, an internship or an education abroad experience.

Scholarships

Thanks to generous alumni, donors and community partners, we have one of the largest scholarship programs at UK. Only one application is required for our college’s scholarships, but there are hundreds of potential awards.

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Co-Director of Undergraduate Certificate
Ellen Crocker, PhD

Co-Director of Undergraduate Certificate
Chris Sass, PhD

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