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Careers

Within the Wood Science and Technology (WSC) program students can select a professional electives sequence in Wood Design and Craftsmanship, Engineering, Business or Science. Even though the broad background provided in the WSC program prepares student for many career opportunities, the sequence(s) selected by each individual provides focused training for specific career paths. Students in the Wood Design and Craftsmanship elective sequence, particularly those who also select courses from the Business sequence are well prepared to develop their own businesses after graduation. Students in the Wood Engineering and Chemistry sequences are highly sought after by Industry and they also are well prepared for graduate school in wood science, material science and engineering, and in other fields as well.  

Students electing the Wood Design and Craftsmanship sequence are prepared to design and build functional, beautiful, expressive works from wood at a high standard of craftsmanship. As such, graduates are prepared to develop their own workshops and market their work. Alternately they can choose to apprentice with experienced artisans and others to produce works ranging from cabinetry to finely crafted furniture. Students opting for the more industrial profession elective sequences in Wood Engineering or Wood Chemistry are in very high demand and can chose from entry-level positions typically involving product and process development of advanced wood composites, quality control, production and management, sales and marketing, advertising, and technical support. To view just one example in the Industrial Forest Product employment sector, please click the link below for current career opportunities available:  http://www.searchna.com/opportunities.htm (please note that this site is not a UMaine site but operated by a professional search and recruiting firm). A range of career opportunities are also typically found on exchange sites like WoodWeb and WoodJobs.com.  University of Maine Career Center also provides free on-line job posting services and assistance with resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills, and other job search related services: http://www.umaine.edu/career. 

Although the web sites above will list positions starting at the low 6-figure level, these are typically positions for graduates in the forest products industry with 3-5 or more years of experience in the field. The starting salaries of entry-level graduates with Bachelor's degree may range from $30,000 to $50,000. Self-employed wood craftsman can also do very well with successful marketing strategies promoting the uniqueness and quality of their works. For students interested in industrial careers, usually salary increases rapidly as graduates gain more industrial experience and advance into positions with more responsibilities. The site below shows an example of typical salary ranges and positions in forest manufacturing field: http://www.searchna.com/opportunities.htm

The producers of wood products range from individual wood designers and craftsmen to large multinational companies. As such the employment potential is diverse. The value of forest products shipped is greater than $250 Billion annually. The amount of wood products that we use each year continues to increase, and this trend will continue. Self-employed furniture producers and cabinetry makers account for 10% of all woodworking employments and are more prevalent in the eastern US where larger urban populations fuels demand for fine wood craftsmanship. The US forest products industry ranks sixth among domestic manufacturing sectors and it leads the world in productivity, sustainability, and recycling. For these reasons career opportunities and growth are strong and it is anticipated they will remain so as demand for high-end quality furniture and other individually crafted pieces continues to increase, and technological advancements continue to expand opportunities for product development for structural applications.

Our graduates are employed in a variety of positions. Some have their own businesses and market their products or services directly to the public, while others are employed by small or large companies. The diversity of the field of wood products allows graduates to take positions in rural or urban areas depending on their interests.

Positions our graduates currently occupy run the gamut from Independent owners, consultants and mill operators, to a Forest Products Specialist with the USDA Forest Service; Technical Director and Products Development Manager for Weyerhaeuser Corp.; Estimator, National Lumber Co.; Securities Analyst, Merrill-Lynch Co.; and many others.