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2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools

142 Colleges
$48,625 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 5,744 people earned a degree or certificate in natural resources and conservation, making the major the #24 most popular in the United States.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 142 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 15% Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for natural resources and conservation students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Duke University

#2

University of Denver

Denver, CO

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Denver helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools 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.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Denver

#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Virginia Tech

#4

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO

The excellent master’s degree programs at Webster University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources and conservation schools in the United States. Webster is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Webster University

#5

Yale University

New Haven, CT

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Yale is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of New Haven.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Yale University

#6

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Harvard University

#7

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia ranked #7 on this year’s Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Georgia Report

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

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

University of Houston - Clear Lake 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 #9 on the list. UH Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Houston.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Houston - Clear Lake

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 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 #10 on the list. U-M is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.

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

California State University - Fullerton 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 #11 on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.

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

South Dakota State University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree natural resources and conservation programs. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at South Dakota State University Report

#13

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

With a ranking of #13, University of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of San Francisco Report

With a ranking of #14, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on this year’s best schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

North Carolina State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. NC State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Raleigh.

Read More…

#16

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Barbara 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 #17 on the list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

#18

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Clemson University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree natural resources and conservation programs. Clemson is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Clemson.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Clemson University Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Report

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Monterey, Middlebury Institute is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

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 Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
22 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
23 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
24 Washington State University Pullman, WA
25 Auburn University Auburn, AL
26 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
27 American University Washington, DC
28 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA

Natural Resources & Conservation by Region

View the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 3,724
Natural Resource Management 1,073
Forestry 486
Wildlife Management 323
Fisheries Sciences 106
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 32

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 61,791
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Physical Sciences 12,705

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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