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2025 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in North Carolina

8 Colleges in North Carolina
1,008 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in North Carolina 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 1,008 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 North Carolina 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

The conservation school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina

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.

Top North Carolina Schools in Conservation

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$60,902 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were about 155 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Natural Resources Conservation degree recipients from Duke University earn a boost of about $22,675 above the average income of natural resources conservation majors.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Duke University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$35,855 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to check out North Carolina State University. NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 202 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at NC State 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 $35,855.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$34,567 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in natural resources conservation has to check out University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 148 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill 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 $34,567.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$30,214 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Wilmington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in natural resources conservation. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 110 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the conservation program make around $30,214 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$27,631 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 119 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,631.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Conservation Degrees Awarded
$25,758 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Asheville, UNCA is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 61st out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 59 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNCA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the conservation program report average early career wages of $25,758.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from University of North Carolina at Asheville

7
Catawba crest
Catawba College
Salisbury, NC

Catawba is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Salisbury. This college ranks 43rd out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 22 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at Catawba 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 earnings of $27,389.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NC
28.6% Growth in Graduates

WCU is a large public university located in the distant town of Cullowhee. This university ranks 36th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 28 natural resources conservation students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in natural resources conservation from Western Carolina University

Best Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 178
Florida 282 917
Virginia 274 519
Tennessee 269 125
South Carolina 248 140
Kentucky 244 88
Louisiana 242 105
Mississippi 234 24
Arkansas 234 90
Alabama 233 212
West Virginia 207 389

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 414
Environmental Science 414
Natural Resources/Conservation, General 180

View All Conservation Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Forestry 188
Natural Resource Management 80
Wildlife Management 12

View All Conservation Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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