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2025 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools

235 Colleges in the United States
21,739 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,914 Avg Early-Career Salary
Natural Resources & Conservationbachelor's programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #23 out of the 38 majors we look at each year. As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 235 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for natural resources & conservation students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 21,739 bachelor's degrees in natural resources & conservation during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Natural Resources & Conservation School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools The natural resources & conservation bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality natural resources & conservation program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for natural resources & conservation students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The natural resources & conservation school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Natural Resources & Conservation in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for natural resources & conservation students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Natural Resources & Conservation

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
435 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in natural resources & conservation. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
325 Annual Graduates

Texas A&M University - College Station is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
184 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in natural resources & conservation has to take a look at University of Washington - Seattle Campus. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Annual Graduates

Duke University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Duke University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
341 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
189 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Massachusetts Amherst

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
239 Annual Graduates

NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from North Carolina State University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
106 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Los Angeles

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
318 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Santa Barbara

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Annual Graduates

WWU is a large public university located in the small city of Bellingham.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Western Washington University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
196 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Annual Graduates

U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Annual Graduates

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of California - Santa Cruz

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Annual Graduates

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Southern California

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Annual Graduates

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Cornell University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Virginia - Main Campus

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Connecticut

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Annual Graduates

Northeastern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Northeastern University

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Annual Graduates

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tempe.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Arizona State University - Tempe

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Arizona

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Annual Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

23
UVM crest
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
252 Annual Graduates

UVM is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Burlington.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Vermont

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
238 Annual Graduates

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from Ohio State University - Main Campus

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Annual Graduates

UMCP is a very large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Maryland - College Park

Rest of the Top Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
27
28
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
29
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
30
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
31
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
32

33

34
35
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
36
37
38
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
39
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
40
41

42
Colby crest
Colby College
Waterville, ME

43
44
45
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
46
47

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
48 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
49 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
50 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
51 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach, AL
52 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
53 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
54 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
55 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
56 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
57 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
58 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
59 Fordham University Bronx, NY
60 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
61 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
62 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
63 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
64 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
65 University of Denver Denver, CO
66 Humboldt State University Arcata, CA
67 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA
68 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
69 California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA
70 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
71 University of Georgia Athens, GA
72 Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA
73 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
74 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
75 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
76 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
77 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY
78 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA

Natural Resources & Conservation by Region

View the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 17,179
Wildlife Management 1,669
Natural Resource Management 1,370
Forestry 1,123
Fisheries Sciences 319
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 79

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 137,147
Engineering 125,469
Mathematics & Statistics 31,213
Physical Sciences 29,960
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 21,000
Engineering Technologies 18,358
Architecture & Related Services 9,631
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,627
Science Technologies / Technicians 447

Notes and References

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