University of Forestry (Yezin)

The University of Forestry and Environmental Science (Yezin) (Burmese: သစ်တောနှင့်ပတ်ဝန်းကျင်ဆိုင်ရာ တက္ကသိုလ် (ရေဆင်း), pronounced [θɪʔtɔ́ tɛʔkəθò (jèzɪ́ɴ)]), in Yezin near Nay Pyi Taw, is the only university specialized in forestry in Myanmar. It mainly offers a five-year Bachelor of Science degree program in forestry as well as two-year master's and three-year doctoral programs. The university is administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and is affiliated with the Forest Research Institute (FRI), a government R&D agency. Undergraduate students are required to take part in a field training program each winter. Graduates of the university typically become forestry officers at the Forestry Department, the Dry Zone Greening Department or the Myanmar Timber Enterprise.

History

Forestry education in Myanmar was first offered in Yangon University since 1920 and the first batch graduated in 1925. In 1982, the forestry study was moved to the Yezin campus, under the purview of the Department of Forestry at the Yezin Institute of Agriculture. In 1992, the Forestry Department was carved out and founded as the Institute of Forestry (Yezin). In 2002, it was renamed the University of Forestry (Yezin). The Bachelor of Science (Forestry) B.Sc. (Forestry) degree program used to take six years to complete; it has since been changed to five years program and recently rescheduled to be 6-year program starting 2014.

Admissions

The annual intake of students has always been low. Up to 2005, the intake was only 50.^[2] No female students were admitted until 1995. Even now, female students make up just 5% to 10% of each incoming class; male candidates are given priority.

List of rectors

1. Saw Yan Aung C Doo (1992–1995)
2. Aung Kyin (1995–2000)
3. Aung Than (2000–2001)
4. Win Kyi -1 (2002–2007)
5. Khin Maung Zaw (2007–2010)
6. Dr. Myint Oo (2010–present)

References