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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)

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 Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 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 Getting Aid” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in the Rocky Mountains Region (With Aid)

#5 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Logan, Utah, and it awarded 17 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

USU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USU are $22,598, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USU Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. Laramie, Wyoming is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UW also took the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615.

Full University of Wyoming Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2 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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado State University - Fort Collins landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this large public school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region master’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, Colorado State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State University - Fort Collins are $28,055, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Colorado State University - Fort Collins Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#4

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Idaho. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Idaho is a public institution located in Moscow, Idaho. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 69 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U of I are $29,112, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Idaho

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Denver, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

CU Anschutz also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU Anschutz are $23,915, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at CU Anschutz

#6

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#7 in overall quality

Montana State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Montana State University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 71 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region master’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, CU - Boulder has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Colorado Boulder are $32,980, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at CU - Boulder

#8

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#9 in overall quality

Western Colorado University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Gunnison, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 43 students 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 Colorado University are $17,371, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Western

#9

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#8 in overall quality

The University of Montana ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Montana is a public institution located in Missoula, Montana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region master’s degree natural resources & conservation students with aid list, UM has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UM are $23,242.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UM

#10

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, 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 Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 93 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

DU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #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 University of Denver are $52,899.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at DU

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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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