2025 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in Virginia

You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a Master's Degree in natural resources & conservation. It is ranked #23 out of 37 major degree programs in terms of popularity. As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 185 master's degrees in natural resources & conservation during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

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 master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master'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:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on natural resources & conservation students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of natural resources & conservation students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for natural resources & conservation to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized natural resources & conservation related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Natural Resources & Conservation in Virginia

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in natural resources & conservation.

Top Virginia Schools for a Master's in Natural Resources & Conservation

1

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

111 Annual Graduates

Virginia Tech is a good option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Virginia Tech

2

University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

39 Annual Graduates

University of Virginia - Main Campus is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Virginia - Main Campus

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Mississippi	34	26
Florida	34	180
Georgia	32	62
Tennessee	32	44
North Carolina	31	256
Kentucky	31	9
West Virginia	30	150
Alabama	30	55
Louisiana	30	19
South Carolina	30	80
Arkansas	30	20

View All Rankings >

Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Natural Resource Management	94
Natural Resources Conservation	74
Forestry	15
Fisheries Sciences	2

Most Popular Majors Related to Natural Resources & Conservation

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Engineering	1,064
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	697
Mathematics & Statistics	213
Architecture & Related Services	160
Physical Sciences	126
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences	109
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	90
Engineering Technologies	34

Notes and References

• 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. More about our data sources and methodologies.