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Major · Natural Resources & Conservation

A public-lands ramp into forestry, wildlife, and stewardship work

Natural Resources/Conservation, General (CIP 03.0101) is the umbrella bachelor’s and associate’s for students aiming at forestry, wildlife, soil, and water stewardship. Roughly 1,555 students complete it across 118 colleges, with bachelor’s graduates earning around $55,777 in early-career wages.

Schools offering
118
Annual completions
1,555
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$55k

About this major

Natural Resources/Conservation, General (CIP 03.0101) is the umbrella major for students aiming at the conservation, use, and improvement of the natural environment. Coursework covers climate, air, soil, water, fish and wildlife, and plant resources alongside the basic principles of environmental science and natural-resources management. Programs blend ecology, biology, statistics, GIS, and policy with field labs in habitat assessment, water-quality monitoring, and timber or wildlife sampling. Expect outdoor work in most semesters and a senior capstone tied to a real management question on public or working lands.

The major fits students who like being outside, are comfortable with quantitative coursework, and want their work to land on physical landscapes rather than spreadsheets. Strong fits often come from rural backgrounds, summer-camp or trail-crew experience, or a sustained interest in hunting, fishing, hiking, or land stewardship. The thinking the major rewards is systems-oriented — connecting hydrology, soils, vegetation, and human use into management decisions under uncertainty.

About 1,555 students complete this CIP across 118 institutions, anchored by land-grant and Western flagships including UC Berkeley (100 bachelor’s), University of Maryland Global Campus (95), UMass Amherst (77), Texas A&M (73), and NC State (70). Bachelor’s graduates earn around $55,777 in five-year tracked wages while associate’s graduates earn around $41,556 — a split that reflects role separation between forest and conservation technicians ($54,310) and bachelor’s-tier roles like conservation scientists ($67,950) and foresters ($70,660). The labor market is concentrated in public-sector employers — USFS, NPS, BLM, USDA NRCS, and state DNRs — with consulting and nonprofit work filling the rest.

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
Forest and conservation technicians $54k -3.2% Associate's degree
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

$55k

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

Associate's

$42k

Bachelor's

$56k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you want field work to be a permanent feature of your career rather than something you grow out of, you’re comfortable with seasonal GS-3 to GS-5 federal positions as a starting point and willing to relocate to rural duty stations near national forests or wildlife refuges, you’re drawn to the systems thinking that connects soils, water, vegetation, and wildlife into management decisions, the bachelor’s wage of $55,777 matches a lifestyle you can build, and you’re open to a master’s if conservation-scientist or research-track work is the long-term goal.

Think twice if your earnings target sits well above the $55,777 bachelor’s median or the $41,556 associate’s figure, because public-agency pay scales rarely close that gap quickly. Reconsider this route if you want to stay in a major metro — most field assignments are rural, and forest and conservation technician employment is projected to decline 3.2%. Pause if your interest is closer to lab-based environmental chemistry or consulting; Environmental Science (8,754 completions) is the better-fitting CIP. Also rethink if you’re unwilling to add a graduate degree later, since many management and research roles are gated by it.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Natural Resources/Conservation, General

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 100 100
University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD 0 95 95
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA 0 77 77
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 73 73
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC 0 70 70
Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 0 68 68
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 0 62 62
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 60 60
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 0 57 57
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 50 50
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Environmental Science

8,754 completions/yr

Environmental Studies

7,184 completions/yr

Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management

1,947 completions/yr

Ecology

794 completions/yr

Forestry, General

765 completions/yr

Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General

742 completions/yr

Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture

418 completions/yr

Forest Sciences and Biology

188 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Natural Resources/Conservation, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Natural Resources/Conservation, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Natural Resources/Conservation majors actually study day-to-day?
The CIP definition organizes coursework around climate, air, soil, water, fish and wildlife, and plant resources, plus the basic principles of environmental science and natural-resources management. Programs blend ecology, biology, statistics, GIS, and policy with field labs in measurement, sampling, and habitat assessment. Expect summer field work — timber cruising, wildlife surveys, water-quality monitoring — and a senior capstone tied to a real management problem on public or working lands.
What jobs do graduates actually land — and at what pay?
Named destinations include forest and conservation technicians ($54,310, associate’s typical, -3.2% growth), conservation scientists ($67,950, bachelor’s typical, 3.4% growth), foresters ($70,660, bachelor’s typical, 1.2% growth), and forestry and conservation science teachers, postsecondary ($100,830, doctoral typical, 4% growth). Bachelor’s graduates earn about $55,777 in five-year tracked wages; associate’s graduates earn about $41,556. Most entry roles sit inside agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, BLM, USDA NRCS, and state DNRs.
Do I need a bachelor’s, or is an associate’s enough?
Both degree levels exist in this CIP, and they route to different roles. An associate’s typically lands forest and conservation technician work ($54,310 median), often as seasonal USFS or state-park field staff. A bachelor’s is the typical entry credential for conservation scientist and forester roles, where median pay sits at $67,950 and $70,660. The earnings split in the data — $41,556 associate’s versus $55,777 bachelor’s — reflects that role separation.
How competitive is the federal-agency job market?
Federal hiring at USFS, NPS, and BLM is competitive, and many graduates start in seasonal GS-3 to GS-5 field positions before converting to permanent roles. Forest and conservation technician employment is projected to decline by 3.2%, while conservation-scientist and forester growth runs 1.2% to 3.4% — modest in absolute terms. Internships, USAJOBS familiarity, a clean driver’s license, wildland-fire qualifications, and willingness to relocate to rural duty stations matter more than GPA for entry.
What’s a common next step after a bachelor’s in this major?
A master’s is a frequent next step for students aiming at conservation-scientist, research, or management roles, since many federal and state positions are gated by graduate coursework or thesis-based field research. Doctoral study is the path into postsecondary teaching, where forestry and conservation science teachers earn $100,830 with 4% projected growth. Others move laterally into related fields covered by the CIP cross-reference to Conservation Biology (26.1307) or into adjacent majors like Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science (1,947 completions) or Forestry, General (765 completions).
How does this compare to Environmental Science?
Environmental Science (CIP 03.0104, 8,754 completions) is roughly 5.6 times larger and tilts more toward lab science, environmental chemistry, and consulting careers. Natural Resources/Conservation, General (1,555 completions) tilts toward applied land-and-wildlife management, field work, and public-agency employment. Environmental Studies (03.0103, 7,184 completions) leans further still toward policy and social science. The three CIPs share career destinations but differ in coursework emphasis and the typical employer mix.