For Future Undergrads

WPS Home : For Future Undergrads

Great Futures Begin With WPS

The demand for college graduates in the forest products and paper and pulp industries remains strong. Year after year, the number of job openings exceeds the number of available graduates, creating outstanding career opportunities — particularly for graduates of NC State University’s Department of Wood & Paper Science (WPS). Our reputation for producing skilled professionals whose hands-on training has prepared them to make an immediate impact on the job has resulted in a nearly 100% placement rate each year for our graduates. Combine this with the other elements of our undergraduate programs and you’re in a great place to start a great career when you choose WPS for your undergraduate years.

Student in graduation robes

Choose From 5 Degree Options

WPS offers five undergraduate majors in wood and paper science:

B.S. in Paper Science & Engineering A full-accredited engineering degree that gives you access to the paper and many related chemical process industries, as well as giving you the option for a professioinal licensure in the future.
B.S. in Paper Science and Chemical Engineering-Dual Degree Two full B.S. degrees can be obtained in only one additional semester of study.
B.S. degree in Wood Products Business Management.
B.S. degree in Wood Products Manufacturing & Engineering
B.S in Wood Products-Interdisciplinary allows you to design your own major and tailor your undergraduate education to very specific career goals.

If you’re not yet sure exactly what field you might be interested in, you might want to take a look at our specialty areas before you decide which program is right for you. These specialty areas include wood products, paper science and engineering and the fast-growing field of forest biomaterials.

Learn By Doing

Regardless of which degree program you choose, you will be given numerous opportunities to gain hands-on experience thanks to an innovative curriculum that emphasizes inquiry-guided learning, exciting research projects with world-renowned faculty in well-equipped laboratories and both national and international co-op and internship opportunities. You’ll also find that we offer you numerous financial support options as well as the opportunity to make a difference in the world around you by participating in service-learning initiatives or taking part in international study programs.

We’re A Great Campus Community

The WPS program combines the best of both worlds when it comes to an undergraduate education. Our programs offer small class sizes and emphasize mentorship and a close alignment with industry — meaning you receive a great deal of personal instruction in cutting-edge industry issues. We also work hard to teach you the communication and personal leadership skills you will need to succeed in your career. But we are also part of a much larger campus community — one that features students from over 85 countries and an incredibly diverse array of academic and personal support services as well as hundreds of extracurricular activities. Plus, we are located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Region, where our great quality of life has earned us top spots time and again on official lists of best places to live.

Check out the links at left for more information on what we offer you, how to apply and what your family may want to know about our undergraduate programs.

Three students with their pulp sculpture