You'll be studying one of the lesser sought-after majors if you pursue a degree in natural resources & conservation. It is ranked #25 out of 38 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 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Minnesota ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 698 degrees in natural resources & conservation to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Natural Resources & Conservation School
The natural resources & conservation program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Natural Resources & Conservation rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for natural resources & conservation schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Natural Resources & Conservation Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in Minnesota ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Natural Resources & Conservation in Minnesota
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 & conservation degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Minnesota Schools in Natural Resources & Conservation
It is hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you wish to pursue a degree in natural resources & conservation. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were about 222 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the natural resources & conservation program earn around $34,603 in their early career salary.
Every student who is interested in natural resources & conservation has to take a look at St Olaf College. Located in the town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #301 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.
There were roughly 31 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, natural resources & conservation degree recipients usually make about $29,921 in the first five years of their career.
BS in Environmental Science - Natural Resources & ConservationProgram Name
Develop a broad-based interdisciplinary skill set to solve complex environmental problems like climate change, alternative energy and sustainability with a specialized online degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
It's difficult to beat Macalester College if you want to pursue a degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Macalester is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 8th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were roughly 38 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at Macalester in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the natural resources & conservation program state that they receive average early career income of $29,559.
University of Minnesota - Duluth is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in natural resources & conservation. Located in the small city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 17th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 29 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the natural resources & conservation program earn about $33,565 in their early career salary.
UST MN is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #106 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.
There were roughly 17 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent data year.
Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit college located in the fringe town of Saint Peter. This college ranks 37th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 23 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at Gustavus Adolphus in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the natural resources & conservation program report average early career wages of $38,024.
Bemidji State University is a small public university located in the town of Bemidji. This university ranks 40th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were approximately 48 natural resources & conservation students who graduated with this degree at Bemidji State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, natural resources & conservation degree recipients typically make around $35,947 in the first five years of their career.
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.
The natural resources & conservation program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Natural Resources & Conservation rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for natural resources & conservation schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
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