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2023 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region

7 Ranked Colleges
535 Degrees Awarded
$45,450 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master's

With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Natural Resources & Conservation is the 25th most popular major in the country with 30,503 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $35,158 and had an average of $23,267 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,179 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,077 and $22,865 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in natural resources and conservation. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great natural resources and conservation programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s”.

Top 7 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Rocky Mountains Region

1
DU crest
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Denver landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 137 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

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.Among the 13,856 students enrolled at DU, 571 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 373 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,359. On top of their other funding sources, 155 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Denver]](/colleges/university-of-denver/student-life/veterans/)

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a public institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 138 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Colorado State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list.Among the 32,428 students enrolled at Colorado State, 1,606 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,183 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,701. To help with additional expenses, 68 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Colorado State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Colorado Boulder. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Boulder, Colorado, and it awarded 76 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.

CU - Boulder also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #3.According to our most recent data, CU - Boulder supports 37,437 students, and 1,379 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 968 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,889. To help with additional expenses, 46 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CU - Boulder]](/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder/student-life/veterans/)

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. USU is a public institution located in Logan, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.According to our most recent data, USU supports 27,691 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $285. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Utah State University]](/colleges/utah-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

5
UM crest
The University of Montana
Missoula, Montana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Montana. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s. Located in Missoula, Montana, this fairly large public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.

UM also took the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Of the 9,808 students enrolled at The University of Montana, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The University of Montana offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at The University of Montana]](/colleges/the-university-of-montana/student-life/veterans/)

6
U of I crest
University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s ranking. 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 59 students in 2020-2021.

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.According to our most recent data, U of I supports 10,791 students, and 382 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 248 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,784. In addition to receiving other benefits, 29 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full U of I Veteran Student Life Report

7
Western crest
Western Colorado University
Gunnison, Colorado

With a ranking of #7, Western Colorado University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Rocky Mountains Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. Western Colorado University is located in Gunnison, Colorado and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our rocky mountains region master’s degree vets studying natural resources & conservation list, Western has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking.Among the 3,203 students enrolled at Western, 75 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,543. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Western Colorado University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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