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2024 Best Natural Resource Management Schools

54 Colleges in the United States
2,933 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
$36,190 Avg Early-Career Salary
Natural Resource Management isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #178 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 54 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Natural Resource Management Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,933 degrees in natural resource management during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Natural Resource Management School

Best Natural Resource Management Schools Your choice of natural resource management school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Natural Resource Management School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Natural Resource Management Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Resource Management
Bachelor's Degrees in Resource Management
Master's Degrees in Resource Management
Doctor's Degrees in Resource Management

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Natural Resource Management Schools list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Natural Resource Management in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the resource management degree levels they offer.

10 Top Schools in Resource Management

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
23.1% Growth in Graduates

Virginia Tech is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in natural resource management. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 147 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Those natural resource management students who get their degree from Virginia Tech receive $19,429 more than the standard resource management student.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from Virginia Tech

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MI

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in natural resource management. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 2 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
171 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
35.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Denver is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in natural resource management. DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver. A Best Colleges rank of #126 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 171 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year. Natural Resource Management degree recipients from University of Denver earn a boost of about $28,565 over the typical earnings of natural resource management majors.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from University of Denver

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
42.8% Growth in Graduates

Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in natural resource management. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 33 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.

There were about 166 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Natural Resource Management degree recipients from Colorado State University - Fort Collins earn a boost of around $6,496 above the average income of natural resource management majors.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

5
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NC

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 14 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from Duke University

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
5.1% Growth in Graduates

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 39 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Natural Resource Management degree recipients from Michigan State University get an earnings boost of about $5,442 over the typical income of natural resource management graduates.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from Michigan State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
228 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 30 schools for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were roughly 228 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Oregon State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the natural resource management degree program at Oregon State University make $2,788 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from Oregon State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NC

Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 20 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from North Carolina State University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
$32,505 Median Starting Salary

UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Stevens Point. This university ranks 26th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 89 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the resource management program make around $32,505 for their early career.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Resource Management Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 102 natural resource management students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, resource management degree recipients generally make around $31,009 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in natural resource management from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Natural Resource Management by Region

View the Best Natural Resource Management Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Natural Resource Management is one of 5 different types of Natural Resources & Conservation programs to choose from.

Resource Management Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy 1,630
Environmental/Natural Resources Management & Policy, Other 401
Water, Wetlands, & Marine Resources Management 269
Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services 249
Environmental/Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism 177
Environmental/Natural Resource Economics 118
Land Use Planning & Management/Development 72
Energy and Environmental Policy 17

View All Resource Management Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Resource Management

Related Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 22,254
Wildlife Management 2,449
Forestry 2,233
Fisheries Sciences 483
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 151

View All Resource Management Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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