2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools
Finding the Best Natural Resources Conservation School for You
In 2020-2021, 22,254 people earned a degree or certificate in natural resources conservation, making the major the #49 most popular in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools ranking. This report analyzed 287 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Natural Resources Conservation
Our analysis found University of Denver to be the best school for natural resources conservation students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Out of the 287 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia Southern University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the fringe town of Orange Beach, Columbia Southern University is a private for-profit college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at Columbia Southern University take out is $29,045.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Columbia Southern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
On average, conservation graduates from Duke take out $11,140 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Duke University
The excellent programs at Massachusetts Maritime Academy helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources conservation schools in the United States. Located in the midsize suburb of Buzzards Bay, Maritime is a public school with a small student population.
Conservation majors at Maritime take out an average of $25,575 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Massachusetts Maritime Academy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Webster University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Webster is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Webster University
With a ranking of #6, Yale University did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Yale University
Harvard University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools ranking. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.
With a ranking of #8, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the fringe town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at American Military University take out is $25,250.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best natural resources conservation programs. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
Conservation majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,500 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $275, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of Houston - Clear Lake landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best natural resources conservation programs. UH Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Houston.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at University of Houston - Clear Lake
With a ranking of #11, University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the large suburb of Adelphi, UMGC is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, conservation majors at UMGC accumulate an average of around $14,031 in student debt.
Purdue University Global ranked #12 on this year’s Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Located in the small city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Purdue University Global
Dartmouth College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.
After completing their degree, conservation graduates from Dartmouth carry an average student debtload of $13,260.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Dartmouth College Report
South Dakota State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for natural resources conservation students. It came in at #14 on the list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at California State University - Fullerton Report
Virginia Tech ranked #17 on this year’s Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, conservation graduates from Virginia Tech take out $26,811 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #18, Seton Hall University did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that conservation majors at Seton Hall take out is $27,000.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Seton Hall University Report
Emory University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for natural resources conservation students. It came in at #19 on the list. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.
Conservation majors at Emory take out an average of $19,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at Emory University
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
On average, conservation graduates from UCLA take out $17,806 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of California - Los Angeles Report
With a ranking of #21, Brown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources conservation students. Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
University of North Georgia landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best natural resources conservation programs. UNG is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Dahlonega.
On average, conservation graduates from UNG take out $18,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of North Georgia Report
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools ranking. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Columbia University in the City of New York Report
Saint Cloud State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for natural resources conservation students. It came in at #24 on the list. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Saint Cloud.
After completing their degree, conservation graduates from St. Cloud State University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #25 on this year’s Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools list. Located in the city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, conservation majors at Texas A&M College Station accumulate an average of around $20,654 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $265, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Texas A&M University - College Station Report
Rest of the Top Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA |
| 45 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 46 | Brandeis University | Waltham, MA |
| 47 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 48 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 49 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 50 | University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth, MN |
| 51 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 52 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 53 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | Shippensburg, PA |
| 54 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 55 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI |
| 56 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
| 57 | Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA |
Natural Resources Conservation by Region
View the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Natural Resources Conservation Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Conservation
Natural Resources Conservation is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Natural Resource Management | 2,933 |
| Wildlife Management | 2,449 |
| Forestry | 2,233 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 483 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 151 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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