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Natural Resource Management Major

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Natural Resource Management

1,383 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
826 Master's Degrees Annually
#149 in Popularity
$64,140 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Natural Resource Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many natural resource management graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 1,383
Master’s Degree 826
Graduate Certificate 228
Basic Certificate 210
Associate Degree 200
Undergraduate Certificate 67
Doctor’s Degree 19

What Natural Resource Management Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to resource management and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Resource Management Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in resource management should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Resource Management Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to resource management:

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  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Resource Management Majors

Resource Management majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Natural Resource Management Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with resource management:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Compliance Managers 8.0% $107,480
Fire Investigators 7.3% $62,510
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 6.6% $89,030
Fish and Game Wardens 4.3% $57,710
Forest Fire Fighting and Prevention Supervisors 7.1% $76,330
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists 29.4% $39,600
Foresters 4.9% $61,410
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors 4.5% $86,900
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers 7.6% $22,410
Municipal Firefighters 7.2% $49,620
Park Naturalists 6.3% $61,310
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers 7.0% $61,380
Range Managers 6.3% $61,310
Regulatory Affairs Managers 8.0% $107,480
Soil and Water Conservationists 6.3% $61,310
Wind Energy Project Managers 8.0% $107,480

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Management?

1,383 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
45% Percent Women
17% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,383 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management in 2021, making it rank #149 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 55% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of resource management majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 31
Black or African American 25
Hispanic or Latino 90
White 1,107
International Students 10
Other Races/Ethnicities 120

Geographic Diversity

Resource Management appeals to people across the globe. About 0.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • Mexico
  • Canada
  • Iran
  • South Korea

How Much Do Natural Resource Management Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of natural resource management students with a bachelor’s degree is $32,505 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $28,939 (25th percentile) and $38,996 (75th percentile).

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It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to resource management.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $53,240 to $80,310 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to resource management. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Natural Resource Management Major  ( 53240 to 80310 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with resource management require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for resource management careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 2.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 18.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 9.6%
Some College Courses 11.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 9.5%
Bachelor’s Degree 35.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 0.6%
Master’s Degree 3.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 0.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.8%
Doctoral Degree 5.8%
Post-Doctoral Training 2.7%

Online Natural Resource Management Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 172 schools offered some type of natural resource management program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 14 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 39 2
Bachelor’s Degree 40 8
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 69 7
Post-Master’s 2 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 18 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Natural Resource Management Worth It?

The median salary for a resource management grad is $64,140 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $484,800 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to resource management.

Major Number of Grads
Natural Resources Conservation 22,254
Wildlife Management 2,449
Forestry 2,233
Fisheries Sciences 483
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 151

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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