College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

14 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
1,216 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,216 degrees in natural resources conservation to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Natural Resources Conservation School

Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region Your choice of natural resources conservation school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 the Rocky Mountains Region

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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Conservation

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
307 Conservation Degrees Awarded
12.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to check out University of Colorado Boulder. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #145 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CU - Boulder is a great university overall.

There were roughly 307 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program report average early career earnings of $30,747.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of Colorado Boulder

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Conservation Degrees Awarded
21.8% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to check out Colorado State University - Fort Collins. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #178 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Natural Resources Conservation degree recipients from Colorado State University - Fort Collins earn a boost of about $4,882 over the average earnings of natural resources conservation graduates.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CO

University of Denver is a great decision for students interested in a degree in natural resources conservation. DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver. A Best Colleges rank of #174 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 25 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Conservation Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Wyoming if you want to pursue a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the remote town of Laramie, UW is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 7 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wyoming.

There were approximately 69 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UW in the most recent year we have data available. Those natural resources conservation students who get their degree from University of Wyoming earn $9,695 more than the average conservation student.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Conservation Degrees Awarded
9.3% Growth in Graduates

UM is a large public university located in the small city of Missoula. This university ranks 3rd out of 12 schools for overall quality in the state of Montana.

There were roughly 107 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UM in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, conservation degree recipients typically earn around $27,552 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from The University of Montana

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Conservation Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Moscow, U of I is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 10 schools for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were approximately 79 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at U of I in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make around $31,028 in their early career salary.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Conservation Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

USU is a very large public university located in the small city of Logan. A Best Colleges rank of #503 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 39 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program report average early career wages of $30,249.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MT
35 Conservation Degrees Awarded

MSU Bozeman is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bozeman. A Best Colleges rank of #614 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means MSU Bozeman is a great university overall.

There were about 35 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at MSU Bozeman in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Colorado College crest
Colorado College
Colorado Springs, CO
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Conservation Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Colorado Springs, Colorado College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #560 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Colorado College is a great college overall.

There were about 43 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Colorado College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program state that they receive average early career income of $17,372.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$28,211 Median Starting Salary

Boise State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Boise. A Best Colleges rank of #512 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boise State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 47 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Boise State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make around $28,211 in the first couple years of their career.

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

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources conservation schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Colorado 275 568
Utah 266 164
Idaho 219 152
Montana 188 174
Wyoming 162 74

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 661
Environmental Science 319
Natural Resources/Conservation, General 195
Natural Resources Conservation & Research, Other 41

View All Conservation Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resource Management 555
Wildlife Management 338
Forestry 123
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 24
Fisheries Sciences 12

View All Conservation Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options