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Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

30 Colleges
$13,239 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,789 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You

Natural Resources & Conservation is the #24 most popular major in California with 3,928 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 30 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for natural resources and conservation students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California

Check out the natural resources and conservation programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found California State University - Fullerton to be the best value school for natural resources and conservation students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at San Jose State University

$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at Sac State take out an average of $18,956 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Sacramento Report

$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 4 spot on the list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per year.

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in California. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $13,609 in student debt.

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#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at SDSU take out is $15,000.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at San Diego State University Report

#7

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$7,988 Average Tuition & Fees

Sonoma State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $18,250.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Sonoma State University Report

#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. SFSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,404 in student debt.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at San Francisco State University Report

$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Marcos landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $7,727 per year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from CSUSM take out $12,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - San Marcos Report

$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Berkeley are $14,226 a year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debtload of $12,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $275.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for natural resources and conservation in California.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Berkeley

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 835
Oregon 1,001
Hawaii 129
Nevada 107
Alaska 68

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.

  • 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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