2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s
14
Ranked Colleges
371
Degrees Awarded
$48,573
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 Southwest region, there were 2,587 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,584 and $24,476 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” ranking looked at 14 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s”.
Top 14 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southwest Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 20 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas A&M College Station did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 5 of the 70,418 students enrolled at Texas A&M University - College Station were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,925. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 31 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 74,795 students enrolled at Arizona State University - Tempe, 7,566 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3,828 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,068. On top of their other funding sources, 672 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Arizona State University - Tempe Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 27,772 students enrolled at University of Oklahoma, 12 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,720. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #4 spot on the list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 45,601 students enrolled at University of Arizona, 2,131 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,478 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,880. In addition to receiving other benefits, 31 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Stillwater, Oklahoma that handed out 13 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
OSU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 24,535 students enrolled at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus, 1,038 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 439 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,226. To help with additional expenses, 39 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full OSU Veteran Student Life Report
The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. The University of Texas at Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.
UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Among the 48,072 students enrolled at UT Arlington, 2,109 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,630. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 UT Arlington]](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-arlington/student-life/veterans/)
Texas State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 7 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9.Our most recent data shows that 2,559 of the 37,812 students enrolled at Texas State were GI Bill® students, of which 1,197 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,635. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our southwest region master’s degree vets studying natural resources & conservation list, Texas Tech has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Texas Tech supports 40,322 students, and 1,242 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 630 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,480. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Houston - Clear Lake landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 10 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UH Clear Lake also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Among the 9,053 students enrolled at UH Clear Lake, 465 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 292 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,337. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UH Clear Lake]](/colleges/university-of-houston-clear-lake/student-life/veterans/)
Stephen F Austin State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s ranking. SFASU is a fairly large public school situated in Nacogdoches, Texas. It awarded 10 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 12,620 students enrolled at SFASU, 427 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 177 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,500. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Stephen F Austin State University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #11, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Of the 10,820 students enrolled at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 773 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 357 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,191. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi]](/colleges/texas-a-and-m-university-corpus-christi/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #12, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. Located in Flagstaff, Arizona, this large public school handed out 30 degrees to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2020-2021.
NAU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.According to our most recent data, NAU supports 29,566 students, and 1,055 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 622 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,378. On top of their other funding sources, 56 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. NAU offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northern Arizona University]](/colleges/northern-arizona-university/student-life/veterans/)
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s list. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 5 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2020-2021.
UTSA also took the #15 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 3,565 of the 34,742 students enrolled at UTSA were GI Bill® students, of which 1,847 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,531. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UTSA does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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%.
Read More…
New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southwest Region for Natural Resources & Conservation for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #14. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
NMSU Main Campus did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list.Of the 14,227 students enrolled at New Mexico State University - Main Campus, 620 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 285 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,880. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. New Mexico State University - Main Campus does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Full NMSU Main Campus Veteran Student Life Report
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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