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Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

48 Colleges
$32,801 Avg Salary
$23,385 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, natural resources and conservation was ranked #25 in the country. In fact 30,503 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 48 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the natural resources and conservation programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

#1

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

Our 2023 rankings named Purdue University Global the best school in the Great Lakes Region for natural resources and conservation students. Located in the small city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from U-M take out $18,359 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $168.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#3

Northland College

Ashland, WI

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northland College is a great place for natural resources and conservation students. Northland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Ashland.

After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from Northland carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Northland College Report

#4

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from Augustana take out $26,276 in student loans while working on their degree.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a great place for natural resources and conservation students. Located in the city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Natural Resources & Conservation majors at UW - Green Bay take out an average of $22,833 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

#6

Denison University

Granville, OH

Denison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for natural resources and conservation students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Granville, Denison is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debtload of $19,126.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Indiana University - Bloomington

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best natural resources and conservation programs. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $23,963.

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University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW - Stout carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Stout Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for natural resources and conservation students. It came in at #10 on the list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $21,500.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources and conservation colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 447
Michigan 964
Ohio 878
Illinois 596
Wisconsin 936

Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 22,254
Natural Resource Management 2,933
Wildlife Management 2,449
Forestry 2,233
Fisheries Sciences 483
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 151

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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