---
title: Is a Natural Resources Conservation and Research degree worth the debt?
cip: 0301
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

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

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **257** colleges (257 of 257 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $30,647 ($31,305 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $20,807 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.66× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $26,775–$34,794 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $30,647 | $20,807 | 0.66× | 257 | 257/257 |
| Master's | $49,362 | $39,313 | 0.74× | 47 | 47/47 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purdue University Global (IN) | $69,832 | $32,463 |
| Columbia Southern University (AL) | $60,105 | $22,078 |
| University of Houston-Clear Lake (TX) | $58,690 | — |
| Seton Hall University (NJ) | $50,442 | $26,000 |
| University of Maryland Global Campus (MD) | $48,910 | $20,327 |
| Stephen F Austin State University (TX) | $46,395 | $24,337 |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MA) | $45,730 | $26,000 |
| University of North Georgia (GA) | $45,621 | — |
| American Public University System (WV) | $45,245 | $24,306 |
| Saint Cloud State University (MN) | $44,805 | $20,850 |
| The University of Arizona Global Campus (AZ) | $43,299 | $41,000 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $42,990 | $22,973 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs (MA) | $42,990 | $22,973 |
| San Jose State University (CA) | $42,783 | — |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (LA) | $42,687 | — |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/natural-resources-conservation-and-research.jsonld` · `/education/fields/natural-resources-conservation-and-research.json`