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# Natural Resources Conservation Programs in the United States

Updated September 30, 2026

This page ranks 288 Natural Resources Conservation programs in the United States by the median earnings of Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. [Boston College](/school/boston-college/majors/) leads the list with median earnings of $82,861 four years after completing.

Across the listed schools, the median figure is $52,298, with a range from $82,861 at the top to $20,928 at the bottom.

Public institutions account for 61% of the programs on the list, with 176 public and 112 private nonprofit schools represented. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. CUNY Hunter College reports the lowest average net price, at $2,984.

## The ranked list

Top 25 of 288 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA | $82,861 | $41,704 | $4,284 | 16.4% |
|  | [Boston College](/school/boston-college/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, reporting [median earnings of $82,861](/school/boston-college/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. |
| 2 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $78,731 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
|  | [University of Southern California](/school/university-of-southern-california/majors/) [admits 10% of applicants](/school/university-of-southern-california/admissions/) and posts median earnings of $78,731 for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. |
| 3 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $78,624 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
|  | A public university in Berkeley, [University of California-Berkeley](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/majors/) reports [median earnings of $78,624](/school/university-of-california-berkeley/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $13,481. |
| 4 | Tufts University · Medford, MA | $77,753 | $39,998 | $11,284 | 11.5% |
|  | [Tufts University](/school/tufts-university/majors/) graduates four years after completing its Natural Resources Conservation program earned a [median of $77,753,](/school/tufts-university/outcomes/) with a median federal debt of $18,050 among Natural Resources Conservation completers who borrowed. |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $75,927 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
|  | [University of California-Los Angeles](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/majors/) [ranks 22nd on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-california-los-angeles/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $75,927 for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. |
| 6 | University of Houston-Clear Lake · Houston, TX | $75,258 | $15,563 | $7,330 | 90.5% |
|  | Graduates across all fields who borrowed at [University of Houston-Clear Lake](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/majors/) left with a [median of $17,831](/school/university-of-houston-clear-lake/outcomes/) in federal loans, while its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing earned a median of $75,258. |
| 7 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy · Buzzards Bay, MA | $74,393 | $21,582 | $8,757 | 94.7% |
|  | [Massachusetts Maritime Academy](/school/massachusetts-maritime-academy/majors/) [admits 95% of applicants](/school/massachusetts-maritime-academy/admissions/), and its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing earned a median of $74,393. |
| 8 | Brandeis University · Waltham, MA | $73,936 | $35,736 | $13,363 | 40.5% |
|  | [Brandeis University](/school/brandeis-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $73,936](/school/brandeis-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $35,736. |
| 9 | Duke University · Durham, NC | $73,435 | $29,612 | $735 | 5.7% |
|  | [Duke University](/school/duke-university/majors/) posts [median earnings of $73,435](/school/duke-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $735 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 10 | Santa Clara University · Santa Clara, CA | $72,889 | $50,062 | $22,985 | 48.0% |
|  | Median federal debt of $24,500 among Natural Resources Conservation completers who borrowed at [Santa Clara University](/school/santa-clara-university/majors/) coincides with [median earnings of $72,889](/school/santa-clara-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. |
| 11 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $72,398 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
|  | [Kansas State University](/school/kansas-state-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $72,398](/school/kansas-state-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $13,178 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 12 | Fordham University · Bronx, NY | $71,430 | $44,338 | $32,474 | 59.3% |
|  | [Fordham University](/school/fordham-university/majors/) [admits 59% of applicants](/school/fordham-university/admissions/), and its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing earned a median of $71,430. |
| 13 | Colgate University · Hamilton, NY | $70,760 | $28,786 | $6,086 | 13.9% |
|  | [Colgate University](/school/colgate-university/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Hamilton, reports [$70,760 in median earnings](/school/colgate-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $28,786. |
| 14 | Northeastern University · Boston, MA | $70,272 | $30,915 | $2,264 | 5.2% |
|  | [Northeastern University](/school/northeastern-university/majors/) [admits 5% of applicants](/school/northeastern-university/admissions/) and its Natural Resources Conservation completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $22,973. |
| 15 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $69,768 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
|  | Ranking 15th on this list, [Purdue University-Main Campus](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/majors/) posts [median earnings of $69,768](/school/purdue-university-main-campus/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $14,600. |
| 16 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $69,531 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
|  | [California State University-Chico](/school/california-state-university-chico/majors/) reports an [admission rate of 93%](/school/california-state-university-chico/admissions/) and sits 91st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 17 | University of St Thomas · Saint Paul, MN | $69,525 | $29,155 | $28,131 | 85.4% |
|  | University of St Thomas shows median earnings of $69,525 for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, while its completers who borrowed carried a median federal debt of $24,625. |
| 18 | Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA | $69,077 | $12,885 | $8,310 | 93.4% |
|  | With an [average net price of $12,885,](/school/sonoma-state-university/cost/) [Sonoma State University](/school/sonoma-state-university/majors/) ranks 199th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 19 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $69,061 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
|  | [University of California-San Diego](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/majors/) [ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $69,061 for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing. |
| 20 | Cornell University · Ithaca, NY | $68,088 | $28,690 | $1,776 | 8.8% |
|  | [Cornell University](/school/cornell-university/majors/) [admits 9% of applicants](/school/cornell-university/admissions/) and its Natural Resources Conservation completers who borrowed left with a median federal debt of $15,500. |
| 21 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick · New Brunswick, NJ | $67,805 | $24,406 | $16,343 | 58.2% |
|  | [Rutgers University-New Brunswick](/school/rutgers-university-new-brunswick/majors/) reports [median earnings of $67,805](/school/rutgers-university-new-brunswick/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $24,406. |
| 22 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $67,795 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
|  | Ranking 22nd on this list, [California State University-Sacramento](/school/california-state-university-sacramento/majors/) posts an [admission rate of 94%](/school/california-state-university-sacramento/admissions/) and sits 10th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 23 | Villanova University · Villanova, PA | $67,060 | $43,756 | $17,823 | 27.0% |
|  | [Villanova University](/school/villanova-university/majors/) shows [median earnings of $67,060](/school/villanova-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, while graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $25,874 in federal loans. |
| 24 | Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH | $67,020 | $29,519 | $41 | 5.4% |
|  | [Dartmouth College](/school/dartmouth-college/majors/) [admits 5% of applicants](/school/dartmouth-college/admissions/) and reports an average net price of $41 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 25 | Bucknell University · Lewisburg, PA | $66,963 | $40,766 | $20,980 | 28.9% |
|  | [Bucknell University](/school/bucknell-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $66,963](/school/bucknell-university/outcomes/) for its Natural Resources Conservation graduates four years after completing, alongside a median federal debt of $26,798 among Natural Resources Conservation completers who borrowed. |

Continue by region[Best Natural Resources Conservation Programs in the Midwest](/rankings/best-natural-resources-conservation-programs-in-the-midwest/)[Top Natural Resources Conservation Programs in the South](/rankings/best-natural-resources-conservation-programs-in-the-south/)[Best Natural Resources Conservation Programs in the West](/rankings/best-natural-resources-conservation-programs-in-the-west/)

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Environmental Studies graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 49 of the 288 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between first-ranked Boston College and second-ranked University of Southern California is $4,130, while the spread from top to bottom reaches $61,933.

## Job market context in the United States

Environmental Studies graduates in the United States enter occupations such as Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health, Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health, and Compliance Officers. The median annual wage across those occupations is $78,967, though a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $60,640, a figure closer to what graduates might see four years after completing. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put about 47,400 openings a year, or about 277 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 3.3% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wages described here.

## Related rankings

-   Natural Resources Colleges
-   Natural Resources Colleges for Social Mobility