2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 22,202 people earned their degree in natural resources conservation, making the major the 50th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, natural resources conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,654 and had an average of $25,969 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 516 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,150 and $23,920 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 88 natural resources conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in natural resources conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources conservation programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources conservation program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s conservation degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at University of Chicago

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$49,683 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 26 masters’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at UIUC

#3

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$16,757 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$48,823 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 23 masters’s conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIS Natural Resources Conservation Report

#4

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Natural Resources Conservation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s conservation degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Natural Resources Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources Conservation at DePaul University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources Conservation (Income $48-$75k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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