by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 129 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for natural resources & conservation students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,521 master's degrees in natural resources & conservation during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of natural resources & conservation for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for natural resources & conservation students working on their master's degree.
The natural resources & conservation school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Yale University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Yale University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in natural resources & conservation has to take a look at Harvard University. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Harvard University
Duke University is a great option for individuals interested in a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Duke University
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in natural resources & conservation has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Virginia Tech
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Columbia University in the City of New York
DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Denver.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Denver
UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Georgia
University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from North Carolina State University
Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Virginia - Main Campus
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
UF is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Florida
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Wisconsin - Madison
UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Davis
Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Northeastern University
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
| 20 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 21 | George Washington University | Washington, DC |
| 22 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 23 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 24 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 25 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
View the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation | 3,136 |
| Natural Resource Management | 826 |
| Forestry | 302 |
| Wildlife Management | 200 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 41 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 16 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 48,049 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 19,635 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 12,658 |
| Physical Sciences | 6,760 |
| Engineering Technologies | 6,549 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 6,350 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 2,949 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 1,035 |
| Science Technologies / Technicians | 66 |
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