by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major” ranking.
Ecology is the 416th most popular major in the country with 1,060 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 173 ecology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major” ranking, we looked at 26 colleges that offer a degree in ecology. That schools that top this list have a program in ecology in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree ecology students.
Out of the 26 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wyoming is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 11 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 26 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #2 spot on the list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 26 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 23 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
The University of Montana did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #6. Missoula, Montana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s ecology degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Duke University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Stony Brook University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. SUNY Stony Brook is a large public school situated in Stony Brook, New York. It awarded 6 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #10, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 5 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Ecology at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #11, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 4 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #12, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 9 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Utah State University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Utah State University is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Ecology at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking, coming in at #15. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Connecticut landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. University of Connecticut is a large school located in Storrs, Connecticut that handed out 4 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
University of Georgia came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified doctorate’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #18, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. This large school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. University at Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
San Diego State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 3 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Cornell University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s ecology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 4 doctorate’s ecology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Boise State University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Boise State University is a public institution located in Boise, Idaho. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Kent State University at Kent ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Ecology Major list. Kent State University at Kent is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s ecology degrees to qualified students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
