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2024 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois

7 Colleges in Illinois
488 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$33,536 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in natural resources conservation, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #49 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 7 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of natural resources conservation. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 488 degrees in natural resources conservation during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Natural Resources Conservation School

Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois Your choice of natural resources conservation school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Natural Resources Conservation 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.

Natural Resources Conservation Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Conservation
Master's Degrees in Conservation
Doctor's Degrees in Conservation

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Natural Resources Conservation in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of conservation degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Conservation

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$35,073 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a degree in natural resources conservation. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 87 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the conservation program make an average of $35,073 for their early career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$31,620 Median Starting Salary

Loyola University Chicago is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in natural resources conservation. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were about 66 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the conservation program make about $31,620 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Loyola University Chicago

3
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,394 Median Starting Salary
$26,276 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat Augustana College if you want to pursue a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 21st out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 20 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, conservation degree recipients usually earn around $34,394 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Augustana College

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$48,501 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to take a look at University of Illinois at Springfield. UIS is a small public university located in the midsize city of Springfield. This university ranks 55th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 27 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UIS in the most recent data year. Natural Resources Conservation degree recipients from University of Illinois at Springfield get an earnings boost of about $14,965 above the average income of natural resources conservation graduates.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Illinois at Springfield

4
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$26,153 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to take a look at Lake Forest College. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Lake Forest. A Best Colleges rank of #289 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Lake Forest is a great college overall.

There were roughly 15 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Lake Forest in the most recent data year. After graduating, conservation degree recipients generally earn about $26,153 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Lake Forest College

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IL

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Carbondale. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 16 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,318 Median Starting Salary
$19,250 Median Student Debt

DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the conservation program make about $25,318 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from DePaul University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$32,157 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 31 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. After graduation, conservation degree recipients usually make about $32,157 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Northern Illinois University

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 742
Ohio 314 650
Indiana 294 364
Wisconsin 273 561

View All Rankings >

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

Conservation Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Environmental Studies 245
Environmental Science 241
Natural Resources Conservation & Research, Other 2

View All Conservation Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Conservation

Related Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resource Management 70
Forestry 47
Wildlife Management 3

View All Conservation Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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