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Major · Natural Resources & Conservation

Public lands, policy, and the agencies that run them

Environmental and Natural Resources Management and Policy is the management track of the conservation field, focused on planning, regulation, and administration rather than lab science. Roughly 742 graduates a year emerge from 56 colleges, with most heading into federal land agencies, state environmental departments, planning consultancies, or graduate school.

Schools offering
56
Annual completions
742
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$56k

About this major

Environmental and Natural Resources Management and Policy is built around a single question: how do societies decide what to do with land, water, forests, and wildlife — and how do those decisions get implemented? The CIP definition frames it as preparing graduates to plan, develop, manage, and evaluate programs that protect and regulate natural habitats and renewable resources. Coursework combines conservation biology and environmental science fundamentals with natural resource economics, environmental law and policy, applicable regulation, public administration, and stakeholder communication. Common concentrations in the catalog include Ecosystem Management and Environmental Policy and Decision Making, both of which lean toward planning and administration rather than laboratory research.

The major fits students who like the substance of conservation science but are pulled more toward how public lands, watersheds, and habitats actually get managed. Comfort with writing, public meetings, and ambiguous tradeoffs matters as much as comfort with field data. Students who enjoy reading a NEPA environmental impact statement, mapping land use scenarios in GIS, or arguing through a town hall over a watershed plan tend to find the work absorbing.

The scale of the major is modest. About 742 students complete the degree each year across 56 colleges, with bachelor’s graduates earning a median of roughly $57,221 about five years out. Top producers cluster around land-grant and forestry-strong campuses — Oregon State, LSU, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Colorado State-Fort Collins. Common bachelor’s destinations include conservation scientist roles (median wage $67,950) and forester positions ($70,660), with federal land agencies, state environmental departments, and consulting firms anchoring the hiring base.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Conservation scientists $68k +3.4% Bachelor's degree
Foresters $71k +1.2% Bachelor's degree
Forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary $101k +4.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$56k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$47k

Bachelor's

$57k

Who this major is for

This major fits students who care about how public lands and ecosystems get managed but want the policy, planning, and administration side rather than a lab or field-research role. A pull toward government service — federal agencies like USFS, NPS, BLM, USFWS, or EPA, plus state DNRs and tribal natural resources departments — is a strong signal, given that the median conservation scientist wage of about $67,950 reflects the agency pay scale. Comfort with writing dense regulatory documents, sitting through public meetings, and weighing competing claims from ranchers, tribes, and environmental groups also helps. Students who already gravitate toward GIS, planning maps, and environmental impact statements tend to settle in quickly.

Reconsider the major if you want a hands-on lab or field-science career — Ecology (CIP 26.1301) or Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (CIP 03.0601) are closer fits. Pause as well if you need a high-paying career right after graduation, since bachelor’s wages here are honest middle-class rather than elevated. A real share of graduates pursue a Master of Environmental Management or MS to move into senior planner and policy analyst roles, so factor a graduate-school detour into the plan. Geography also limits the field — most agency work sits in the western US and DC, so flexibility about where you live matters.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 0 123 123
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA 0 56 56
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ 0 45 45
University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 0 45 45
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 0 42 42
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY 0 38 38
University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 0 33 33
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO 0 31 31
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Paul Smiths, NY 0 30 30
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC 0 27 27
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management

1,947 completions/yr

Natural Resources/Conservation, General

1,555 completions/yr

Ecology

794 completions/yr

Forestry, General

765 completions/yr

Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture

418 completions/yr

Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other

306 completions/yr

Forest Sciences and Biology

188 completions/yr

Forest Management/Forest Resources Management

170 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do these majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework blends conservation biology and environmental science fundamentals with the human side of resource management — natural resource economics, environmental law, NEPA compliance, public lands administration, GIS, and stakeholder communication. Concentrations like Ecosystem Management and Environmental Policy and Decision Making are common. Expect a mix of natural science labs, planning case studies, and policy seminars rather than an exclusive science workload.
How does this differ from Environmental Science or Ecology?
Environmental Science (CIP 03.0102) and Ecology (CIP 26.1301) are the science-leaning lanes — heavier in chemistry, biology, statistics, and field or lab research. This major sits on the management and policy side: how public agencies, NGOs, and private landowners actually decide what to do with forests, watersheds, and habitat. If you want to write the regulations and run the planning process, you are on the right page; if you want to run the experiments that inform them, look at the science majors.
What jobs can I get with just a bachelor’s?
Bachelor’s-level destinations include conservation scientist roles in federal and state agencies (median wage about $67,950), forester positions ($70,660), environmental planner I, sustainability coordinator, park ranger and interpretation roles, and environmental compliance specialist. Many federal openings post on USAJOBS at the GS-5 or GS-7 grade, and the Pathways internship program is a common entry route. Pay is honest middle-class rather than high.
Do I need a graduate degree?
Not strictly, but a large share of graduates pursue a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) at programs like Yale, Duke, or Michigan, an MS in Natural Resources, an MPP, or environmental law. The data packet shows postsecondary teaching in the field requires a doctorate (median wage about $100,830). Bachelor’s holders often work for two to four years, then return for a graduate credential to move into senior planner, policy analyst, or program manager roles.
Where are the jobs located?
Geography matters here more than in most majors. Federal land agencies (USFS, NPS, BLM, USFWS, EPA) concentrate work in the western US — Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska — plus Washington, DC for headquarters policy roles. Top producers like Oregon State, Colorado State-Fort Collins, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and SUNY-ESF are positioned near these labor markets. Dense urban Northeast roles exist but are more concentrated in environmental consulting and state DEC work.
How can I improve my chances at the bachelor’s level?
Stack a GIS minor or an Esri certification onto the major — it is the single most cited skill that moves a resume from the reject pile to the interview pile for planner and analyst roles. Add agency experience through the Pathways internship program, a Student Conservation Association (SCA) placement, or a state agency seasonal job before graduating. Private-sector environmental consulting (AECOM, Stantec, Tetra Tech) is also a viable bachelor’s-level path that often pays more than agency entry.