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Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

16 Colleges
$15,359 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$48,625 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California

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

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 suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $8,410 per year.

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Out of the 16 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the 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 graduate student at San Jose State are $9,286 a year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at San Jose State University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Berkeley are $14,160 a year.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list.

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

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 suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCSB are $13,581 per year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

UC Irvine graduate students pay an average of $13,356 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Irvine Report

University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Davis are $13,608 per year.

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

California State University - Monterey Bay 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 #7 on the list. CSUMB is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Seaside.

CSUMB graduate students pay an average of $8,652 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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California State University - Chico ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Chico, Chico State is a public college with a fairly 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 landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree natural resources and conservation programs. Humboldt State University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Arcata.

In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Humboldt State University are $9,298 per year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Humboldt State University Report

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate students pay an average of $11,629 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also is in the top 10% of our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking.

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Best 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

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 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.

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