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2025 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California

25 Colleges in California
3,437 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$38,227 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in natural resources conservation is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #49 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 25 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,437 degrees in natural resources conservation annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Natural Resources Conservation School

Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California 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. We derive our Best Overall Natural Resources Conservation School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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

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 California list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Natural Resources Conservation in California

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

10 Top California Schools in Conservation

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
544 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$48,948 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in natural resources conservation has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 544 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the natural resources conservation degree program at University of California - Berkeley get $10,720 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Berkeley

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$38,954 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Davis is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 253 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the conservation program earn an average of $38,954 for their early career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Davis

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Conservation Degrees Awarded
2.7% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is a good option for students interested in a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 110 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program report average early career earnings of $31,944.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA
88 Conservation Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is a good decision for students interested in a degree in natural resources conservation. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 88 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Southern California

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
406 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$38,353 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 406 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make around $38,353 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Santa Barbara

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$29,152 Median Starting Salary

UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 158 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. After graduation, conservation degree recipients usually make an average of $29,152 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Santa Cruz

7
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$42,576 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #53 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 41 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent year we have data available. Natural Resources Conservation degree recipients from Santa Clara University receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,349 over the average income of natural resources conservation graduates.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Santa Clara University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Conservation Degrees Awarded
22.2% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, conservation degree recipients usually earn around $36,304 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of California - Irvine

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
179 Conservation Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Humboldt State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Arcata. This university ranks 125th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 179 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Humboldt State University in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the conservation program earn about $36,199 for their early career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Humboldt State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Conservation Degrees Awarded
8.4% Growth in Graduates

SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 119 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make an average of $34,090 for their early career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from San Diego State University

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 714
Oregon 266 483
Nevada 192 52
Hawaii 164 77
Alaska 119 32

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Natural Resources & Conservation area of study, Natural Resources Conservation has other similar majors worth exploring.

Conservation Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Environmental Studies 1,625
Environmental Science 1,380
Natural Resources/Conservation, General 352
Natural Resources Conservation & Research, Other 80

View All Conservation Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Forestry 224
Wildlife Management 199
Natural Resource Management 149
Fisheries Sciences 18
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 1

View All Conservation Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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