2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 30,341 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. 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 Illinois, there were 631 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,920 and $23,093 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 91 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in natural resources and conservation. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural resources and conservation programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

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 Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UIUC Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$16,757 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

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

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UIS

#3

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #3 spot on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#4

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 #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 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 UChicago are $61,548.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UChicago

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation 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. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at DePaul

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (With Aid)

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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