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2025 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

10 Colleges in the Southwest Region
495 Master's Degrees
$60,723 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 495 master'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 Master's Degree

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region The natural resources & conservation master'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 for a Master's Degree 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 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:

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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Natural Resources & Conservation in the Southwest Region

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

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Natural Resources & Conservation

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Texas A&M University - College Station is a great option for students pursuing a master'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 master’s in natural resources & conservation from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Arizona State University - Tempe if you wish to pursue a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the city of Tempe.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Arizona State University - Tempe

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

University of Arizona is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Arizona

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in natural resources & conservation needs to take a look at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. Located in the midsize suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

OSU is a fairly large public university located in the town of Stillwater.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Northern Arizona University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

Texas Tech is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lubbock.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Texas Tech University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Arizona State University - Skysong

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Corpus Christi is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Antonio, UTSA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in natural resources & conservation from The University of Texas at San Antonio

Best Natural Resources & Conservation Colleges by State

Explore the best natural resources & conservation schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 32 138
Texas 32 144
Oklahoma 32 82
New Mexico 31 7

View All Rankings >

Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 386
Natural Resource Management 60
Wildlife Management 36
Forestry 13

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 4,582
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 2,030
Mathematics & Statistics 1,153
Physical Sciences 817
Architecture & Related Services 586
Engineering Technologies 572
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 485
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 2

Notes and References

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