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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

10 Ranked Colleges
514 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master's in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Natural Resources & Conservation is the 26th most popular major in the country with 30,341 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,196 and had an average of $25,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,082 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,144 and $25,086 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 514 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,560 and $37,817 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources and conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources and conservation programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wyoming. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UW is located in Laramie, Wyoming and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UW also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wyoming are $16,615, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UW

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Utah State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Utah State University is a large school located in Logan, Utah that handed out 17 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

USU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Utah State University are $22,598, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at USU

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, and it awarded 119 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Colorado State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State are $28,055.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Colorado State

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. CU Anschutz is a large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 20 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

CU Anschutz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus are $23,915.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at CU Anschutz

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Colorado Boulder

#6

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Moscow, Idaho is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at U of I, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Idaho are $29,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Idaho Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#7

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Denver did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Denver is a fairly large school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 93 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DU are $52,899.

Full DU Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#8

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Montana State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Bozeman, Montana, and it awarded 30 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Bozeman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Montana State University are $21,446, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full MSU Bozeman Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#9 in overall quality

Western Colorado University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Colorado University is a small public school situated in Gunnison, Colorado. It awarded 43 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Western also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western are $17,371, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Western Colorado University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#10

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#8 in overall quality

The University of Montana ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Montana is a medium-sized school located in Missoula, Montana that handed out 25 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Montana are $23,242, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UM

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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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