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Natural Resource Protection

Types of Degrees Natural Resource Protection Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Natural Resource Protection can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	29
Associate’s Degree	78
Bachelor’s Degree	67
Master’s Degree	47

What Natural Resource Protection Majors Need to Know

Studies in Natural Resource Protection develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Natural Resource Protection graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Natural Resource Protection emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Natural Resource Protection program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Natural Resource Protection careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Natural Resource Protection graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Natural Resource Protection professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Natural Resource Protection graduates include:

• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Regulatory Compliance Specialist
• Enforcement Officer
• Regulatory Analyst
• Police Officer
• Criminalist
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Police Investigator
• Identification Officer
• Investigator
• State Trooper
• Police Inspector
• Sheriff’s Detective

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	40.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	21.2%
Some college courses	11.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.1%
Postsecondary certificate	7.5%
Master’s degree	3.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%
First professional degree	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%
Doctoral degree	0.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Natural Resource Protection?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 75% of Natural Resource Protection degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	56	25.0%
Men	168	75.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Natural Resource Protection graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	187	83.5%
Asian	1	0.4%
Hispanic or Latino	17	7.6%
Black or African American	5	2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	9	4.0%
Race Unknown	4	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Natural Resource Protection Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Natural Resource Protection graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,496
4 years	$52,434
5 years	$59,221

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,221 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Natural Resource Protection Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Natural Resource Protection. 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	1	0

^{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 Resource Protection Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Natural Resource Protection graduates earn a median of $52,434 four years after completion — roughly 38% 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.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy	03.02
Bioenergy	03.0210
Energy and Environmental Policy	03.0209
Environmental/Natural Resource Economics	03.0204
Environmental/Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism	03.0207
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General	03.0201
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other	03.0299
Land Use Planning and Management/Development	03.0206
Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management	03.0205

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.