TRANSFOR-M: Opening Global Opportunities in the Dual Master's Program

Hello! My name is Cèilidh and I’m from Abbotsford, BC, Canada. I graduated in May 2024 from #UBCForestry with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation. During my undergrad, I worked for three summers as a field research assistant in the UBC Tree Ring Lab, where I got to travel across the British Columbia Interior and study wildfire risk management, dendrochronology, Indigenous fire stewardship, and plant phenology. I studied abroad throughout my degree in Hawaii, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.?

I completed a research project during the final year of my undergrad, where I worked in collaboration with UBC students and faculty as well as the Mission Community Forest to create a climate change vulnerability and adaptation plan for the City of Mission in BC, Canada. With this project, I had the amazing opportunity to represent my research team and present our work at the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) in Zagreb, Croatia.?

All of these experiences ultimately led me to the TRANSFOR-M (Transatlantic Forestry Master’s) program. As someone who greatly values experiential learning, I chose to pursue TRANSFOR-M for its emphasis on international collaboration and hands-on forestry practices. After graduating with my bachelor degree, I wanted to maintain and continue my connections at the Faculty of Forestry while broadening my network and gaining expertise in another part of the world. TRANSFOR-M has allowed me to do both, within one cohesive program.?

As a dual degree program, I am currently studying towards my Master of Science at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) . I will live and study here in Sweden for a year, before I return to Vancouver in September 2025 to complete my Master of Forestry at UBC. Receiving two Master’s degrees, one in Europe and one in Canada, at two world-renowned forestry institutions has been an incredible opportunity. So far in my studies at SLU, I have completed several field excursions throughout Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.?

Research is among SLU’s strengths, and students here have access to an abundance of research facilities, sites, and resources. This mirrors my previous experiences as a UBC student, and I feel that my undergraduate research background prepared me well for graduate studies. By the end of this semester I will have a solid foundation in European forestry to write my MSc thesis in forestry science, which I am really looking forward to!

Similar to UBC, I have thoroughly enjoyed the community that I am surrounded by here in Sweden. I study alongside students of all different backgrounds, and I live communally amongst students from all over Europe. These international connections and friendships are something that I really value, and the memories that I have made with all of them will definitely be a highlight from my time abroad. I plan on using my dual degrees to forge a career for myself in community forestry. Down the road, with some industry experience under my belt, I can also see myself pursuing PhD studies.?