2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree 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 Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree 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.
Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found California State University - Fullerton to be the best value school for natural resources and conservation students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a very large student population.
Cal State Fullerton graduate students pay an average of $8,410 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Fullerton Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at San Jose State are $9,286 per year.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value natural resources and conservation schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $14,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #2 for overall quality for natural resources and conservation in California.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UCSB graduate students pay an average of $13,581 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Irvine are $13,356 per year.
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With a ranking of #6, University of California - Davis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UC Davis graduate students pay an average of $13,608 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUMB is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside.
CSUMB graduate students pay an average of $8,652 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Monterey Bay Report
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California State University - Chico did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for natural resources and conservation students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Chico, Chico State is a public school with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Chico State are $9,298 per year.
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Humboldt State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Humboldt State University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Arcata.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Humboldt State University are $9,298 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $11,629 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Request InformationBest Value Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools 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 |
More Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings in California
Natural Resources & Conservation Related Majors for Natural Resources & Conservation
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Natural Resources & Conservation
| 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 16 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.