Natural Resource Management
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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:
- 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:
- 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:
- 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?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of resource management majors is as follows:
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).
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.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Natural Resource Management
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.
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!
Top Ranking Lists for Natural Resource Management
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Majors Related to Natural Resource Management
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.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Brian M. Powell under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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