Federal data
Highest earning natural resources conservation and research programs in the United States
U.S. natural resources conservation and research programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia Southern University | Orange Beach | For-profit, 4-year | $74,546 | 58 |
| 2 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi | Public, 4-year | $55,545 | 58 |
| 3 | Northeastern University | Boston | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,137 | 67 |
| 4 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Buzzards Bay | Public, 4-year | $50,931 | 71 |
| 5 | American Public University System | Charles Town | For-profit, 4-year | $50,260 | 217 |
| 6 | Dartmouth College | Hanover | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $47,671 | 36 |
| 7 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | Public, 4-year | $47,338 | 273 |
| 8 | Middlebury College | Middlebury | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $46,758 | 30 |
| 9 | University of Redlands | Redlands | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $46,164 | 40 |
| 10 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | Lowell | Public, 4-year | $45,215 | 35 |
| 11 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | Phoenix | For-profit, 4-year | $44,590 | 216 |
| 12 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | Denver | Public, 4-year | $44,236 | 51 |
| 13 | Southern New Hampshire University | Manchester | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $43,868 | 277 |
| 14 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick | Public, 4-year | $43,223 | 75 |
| 15 | George Mason University | Fairfax | Public, 4-year | $43,038 | 32 |
| 16 | University of Oklahoma | Norman | Public, 4-year | $42,057 | 46 |
| 17 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $41,893 | 64 |
| 18 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | Charlottesville | Public, 4-year | $41,790 | 40 |
| 19 | Cornell University | Ithaca | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $41,621 | 66 |
| 20 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | Boston | Public, 4-year | $41,547 | 41 |
| 21 | University of Maryland-College Park | College Park | Public, 4-year | $41,152 | 60 |
| 22 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $40,759 | 53 |
| 23 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown | Public, 4-year | $40,477 | 34 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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