Natural Resources & Conservation degree programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major ranks #25 out of the 38 majors we look at each year. While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2023 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for natural resources and conservation students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,321 degrees in natural resources and conservation to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Natural Resources & Conservation School
Your choice of natural resources and conservation school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Natural Resources & Conservation School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Natural Resources & Conservation Rankings by Degree Level
The natural resources and 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 Schools in North Carolina.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
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Best Schools for Natural Resources & Conservation in North Carolina
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the natural resources and conservation degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top North Carolina Schools in Natural Resources & Conservation
Duke University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in natural resources and conservation. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were approximately 195 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year. Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients from Duke University receive an earnings boost of about $14,221 above the average earnings of natural resources and conservation graduates.
North Carolina State University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in natural resources and conservation. NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.
There were about 333 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Natural Resources & Conservation degree recipients from North Carolina State University earn a boost of around $11,468 above the typical earnings of natural resources and conservation majors.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in natural resources and conservation. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.
There were about 154 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the natural resources and conservation program report average early career wages of $29,460.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in natural resources and conservation. Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 120 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, natural resources and conservation degree recipients usually earn an average of $30,384 at the beginning of their careers.
Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #339 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.
There were about 123 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the natural resources and conservation program state that they receive average early career income of $21,973.
Located in the city of Asheville, UNCA is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 43rd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were approximately 60 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at UNCA in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, natural resources and conservation degree recipients generally make around $24,753 in their early careers.
Located in the suburb of Clyde, Haywood Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 89th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 45 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at Haywood Community College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, natural resources and conservation degree recipients typically make around $28,109 at the beginning of their careers.
WCU is a fairly large public university located in the town of Cullowhee. This university ranks 15th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were roughly 41 natural resources and conservation students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, natural resources and conservation degree recipients generally earn around $28,330 at the beginning of their careers.
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The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.
college factual
Your choice of natural resources and conservation school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Natural Resources & Conservation School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
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