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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

10 Ranked Colleges
514 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master's in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 30,341 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,196 and had an average of $25,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Rocky Mountains region, there were 2,082 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,144 and $25,086 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 514 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,560 and $37,817 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources and conservation. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent natural resources and conservation programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for rocky mountains region master’s degree natural resources & conservation students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation (Income $30-$48k) in the Rocky Mountains Region

#1

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wyoming landed the #1 spot on the list. UW is a fairly large public school situated in Laramie, Wyoming. It awarded 13 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UW also took the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wyoming are $16,615, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UW Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Utah State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Utah State University is a large public school situated in Logan, Utah. It awarded 17 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

USU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USU are $22,598, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at USU

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Colorado State University - Fort Collins. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Colorado State University - Fort Collins is located in Fort Collins, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 119 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Colorado State also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Colorado State University - Fort Collins are $28,055, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Colorado State

#4

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Idaho landed the #4 spot on the list. Moscow, Idaho is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

U of I not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U of I are $29,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at U of I

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Colorado Boulder. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Colorado Boulder is a large school located in Boulder, Colorado that handed out 71 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

CU - Boulder also took the #3 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CU - Boulder are $32,980, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of Colorado Boulder

#10 in overall quality

University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. CU Anschutz is located in Denver, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

CU Anschutz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus are $23,915, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#7

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado
#1 in overall quality

University of Denver came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Denver, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 93 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Denver are $52,899, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full DU Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#8

Western Colorado University

Gunnison, Colorado
#9 in overall quality

Western Colorado University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Gunnison, Colorado, this small public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified masters’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

Western not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western are $17,371, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at Western

#9

Montana State University

Bozeman, Montana
#7 in overall quality

Montana State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Montana State University is a public institution located in Bozeman, Montana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

MSU Bozeman also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Montana State University are $21,446.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at MSU Bozeman

#10

The University of Montana

Missoula, Montana
#8 in overall quality

The University of Montana ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Master’s in the Rocky Mountains Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. The University of Montana is a medium-sized public school situated in Missoula, Montana. It awarded 25 masters’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Master’s Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Montana are $23,242, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at The University of Montana

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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