Example Career: Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Description

Teach courses in forestry and conservation science. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Job Titles Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary Might Have

• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Forestry Professor
• Professor

What Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary Do

• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in books, professional journals, or electronic media.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as forest resource policy, forest pathology, and mapping.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Supervise students' laboratory or field work.
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Review papers for colleagues and scientific journals.
• Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
• Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and laboratory equipment.
• Provide information to the public by leading workshops and training programs and by developing educational materials.
• Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
• Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.

What Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Interested In

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary Need to Learn

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.