A review of forestry education based on literature and a survey of 186 foresters reveals the diversity of interests within the Australian forestry profession. The survey reflects the utility of subjects such as silviculture, mensuration and forest management, and highlights the need to include subjects such as human resource management, business studies and communication skills in forestry programmes. Results also suggest that there is the need for more innovation in the teaching of foundation subjects such as chemistry. Important but unexpected findings from the survey were the high proportion of respondents who stated that their bachelor studies provided their formative career preparation, and the acknowledgement of the role of vacation work experience in reinforcing formal academic study.