2025 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region
17
Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,369
Conservation Degrees Awarded
$38,227
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.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for natural resources conservation students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,369 degrees in natural resources conservation annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Natural Resources Conservation School
The conservation program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Natural Resources Conservation rankings. 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.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Natural Resources Conservation Degree Level
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 Resources Conservation Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
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 the Plains States Region
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.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Conservation
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were about 175 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, conservation degree recipients generally make an average of $36,347 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Iowa State University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 84 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,890.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Iowa State University
Every student pursuing a degree in natural resources conservation needs to look into South Dakota State University. South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the remote town of Brookings. This university ranks 3rd out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.
There were about 23 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from South Dakota State University
It is difficult to beat Kansas State University if you wish to pursue a degree in natural resources conservation. K -State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Manhattan. A Best Colleges rank of #269 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.
There were about 38 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the natural resources conservation degree program at Kansas State University make $6,259 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Kansas State University
UNL is a very large public university located in the city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #207 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.
There were approximately 125 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make about $33,514 for their early career.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were approximately 70 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, conservation degree recipients typically make about $35,650 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Iowa
Mizzou is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were approximately 91 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, conservation degree recipients usually earn around $35,596 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Missouri - Columbia
St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. This college ranks 6th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 31 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program earn about $29,921 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from St Olaf College
Macalester is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Saint Paul. This college ranks 8th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 38 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Macalester in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make an average of $29,559 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Macalester College
KU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 55 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, conservation degree recipients generally earn about $34,374 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Kansas
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