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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

142 Colleges
$16,517 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 142 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for natural resources and conservation students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

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

Our 2023 rankings named American Public University System the best value school in the United States for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

American Military University graduate students pay an average of $7,050 in tuition and fees each year.

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#2

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO

The excellent master’s degree programs at Webster University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value 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.

Webster graduate students pay an average of $13,500 in tuition and fees each year.

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#3

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Out of the 142 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Youngstown State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Youngstown State University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bemidji State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Bemidji State University is a small public school located in the town of Bemidji.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bemidji State University are $9,586 per year.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Bemidji State University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arizona State University - Skysong. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. ASU - Skysong is a very large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at ASU - Skysong are $9,982 a year.

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North Dakota State University - Main Campus 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 #6 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list.

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South Dakota State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. South Dakota State is a large public school located in the town of Brookings.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at South Dakota State are $16,917 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, South Dakota State also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at South Dakota State University Report

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.

Cal State Fullerton graduate students pay an average of $17,914 in tuition and fees each year.

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With a ranking of #9, University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. UH Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Houston.

UH Clear Lake graduate students pay an average of $18,990 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Houston - Clear Lake Report

#10

Goucher College

Baltimore, MD

Goucher College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.

Goucher graduate students pay an average of $9,765 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Goucher also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#11

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

Purdue University Global ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Purdue University Global is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Purdue University Global graduate students pay an average of $10,582 in tuition and fees each year.

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Stephen F Austin State University 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. SFASU is a large public school located in the town of Nacogdoches.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SFASU are $15,695 a year.

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Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 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 #13 on the list. Located in the fringe town of Shippensburg, Ship is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Ship are $16,830 per year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Report

#14

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

With a ranking of #14, San Jose State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for natural resources and conservation students working on their master’s degree. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the city of San Jose.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree natural resources and conservation programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UW - Green Bay are $19,126 a year.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Report

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list. SRU is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Slippery Rock.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at SRU are $18,216 a year.

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#17

Unity College

Unity, ME

Unity College 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. Unity is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote area of Unity.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Unity are $9,750 per year.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Unity College

#18

University of Delaware

Newark, DE

University of Delaware came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UD is a very large public school located in the suburb of Newark.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UD are $18,128 per year.

UD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Delaware Report

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UIS are $16,757 per year.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Illinois at Springfield

#20

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech 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 #20 on the list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Virginia Tech are $31,443 per year.

Virginia Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at Virginia Tech Report

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree natural resources and conservation programs. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNL are $19,541 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UNL is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Nebraska - Lincoln 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 Value Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
22 University of Georgia Athens, GA
22 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
22 Clemson University Clemson, SC
22 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
26 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
27 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
28 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
28 Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI

Natural Resources & Conservation by Region

View the Best Value 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.

  • 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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