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Natural Resources & Conservation

Types of Degrees Natural Resources & Conservation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Natural Resources & Conservation have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	200
Associate’s Degree	1,752
Bachelor’s Degree	22,396
Master’s Degree	7,327
Doctor’s Degree	645

What Natural Resources & Conservation Majors Need to Know

Programs in Natural Resources & Conservation build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Natural Resources & Conservation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Natural Resources & Conservation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Natural Resources & Conservation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Natural Resources & Conservation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Natural Resources & Conservation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Natural Resources & Conservation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Natural Resources & Conservation graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Instructor
• Lecturer
• Natural Resources Professor
• Ecology Professor
• Forestry Faculty Member
• Environmental Conservation Professor
• Forest Management Professor
• Natural Resources Instructor
• Conservation Biology Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Natural Resources & Conservation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	38.3%
Doctoral degree	17.0%
Master’s degree	10.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.1%
Post-doctoral training	5.5%
Some college courses	5.0%
Postsecondary certificate	3.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
First professional degree	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Natural Resources & Conservation?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.2% women and 40.8% men among Natural Resources & Conservation graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	19,166	59.2%
Men	13,195	40.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	21,954	67.8%
Asian	1,331	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	3,924	12.1%
Black or African American	843	2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	228	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	47	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,549	4.8%
Race Unknown	926	2.9%
International Students	1,559	4.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Natural Resources & Conservation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,987
4 years	$49,105
5 years	$56,967

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,967 — roughly 50% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Natural Resources & Conservation Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Natural Resources & Conservation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	19	19
Bachelor’s	30	32
Master’s	36	37

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Natural Resources & Conservation Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Natural Resources & Conservation graduates earn a median of $49,105 four years after completion — roughly 29% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.