Forestryat California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Graduates earn $55,092/yr in their first year — about 29.0% above the national Forestry average. Base-case 10-year earnings $618K; scenarios range from $571K to $628K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Cal Poly SLO
Cal Poly’s "Learn by Doing" philosophy is a perfect match for a hands-on field like forestry, which explains why its graduates are so sought after. You won’t just be in a classroom; you'll be out in the field at the university's own Swanton Pacific Ranch, gaining practical skills that employers value from day one. Your career path is strongly tied to California’s vast public lands and critical resource management needs. This means you have a direct pipeline to well-funded state and federal agencies like CAL FIRE, the US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, all of which pay competitive, government-scale salaries. To make the most of this, aggressively pursue summer internships with these agencies. The connections you build and the on-the-ground experience you gain will be your most valuable assets when you graduate.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Cal Poly SLO's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Forestry
How Cal Poly SLO stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Cal Poly SLO
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Cal Poly SLO, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Forestry offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Forestry trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Forestry at Cal Poly SLO
How does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo's Forestry program score?
This program scores 58/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Forestry graduates.