College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Natural Resources Conservation and Research degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 257 colleges (257 of 257 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$30,647

Graduates only, early career.$31,305 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,807

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.66×

66% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Natural Resources Conservation and Research report early-career pay between $26,775 and $34,794 — a spread of $8,019 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $26,775 median $30,647 75th pct $34,794

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 257 colleges $30,647 $20,807 0.66×

Master's 47 colleges $49,362 $39,313 0.74×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Purdue University Global IN $69,832 $32,463 debt

Columbia Southern University AL $60,105 $22,078 debt

University of Houston-Clear Lake TX $58,690 —

Seton Hall University NJ $50,442 $26,000 debt

University of Maryland Global Campus MD $48,910 $20,327 debt

Stephen F Austin State University TX $46,395 $24,337 debt

Massachusetts Maritime Academy MA $45,730 $26,000 debt

University of North Georgia GA $45,621 —

American Public University System WV $45,245 $24,306 debt

Saint Cloud State University MN $44,805 $20,850 debt

The University of Arizona Global Campus AZ $43,299 $41,000 debt

Northeastern University MA $42,990 $22,973 debt

Northeastern University Professional Programs MA $42,990 $22,973 debt

San Jose State University CA $42,783 —

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College LA $42,687 —

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Natural Resources Conservation and Research, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard