Best Natural Resources Management and Policy Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

-$116,457

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$28,153

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	Central Michigan University Grad rate: 61.8%	MI	+$372,120	$65,900	$26,470	N/A	Full ROI →
2	California State University-Bakersfield Grad rate: 49.5%	CA	+$361,200	$63,823	$18,815	N/A	Full ROI →
3	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Grad rate: 77.1%	NH	+$281,922	$64,832	$34,567	$27,000	Full ROI →
4	University of Rhode Island Grad rate: 71.4%	RI	+$191,414	$59,775	$32,584	$25,000	Full ROI →
5	Metropolitan State University of Denver Grad rate: 29.5%	CO	+$93,220	$51,226	$22,825	N/A	Full ROI →
6	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Grad rate: 66.8%	CO	+$74,016	$51,640	$29,696	N/A	Full ROI →
7	California State University-Channel Islands Grad rate: 55.1%	CA	+$21,311	$49,170	$24,039	$19,209	Full ROI →
8	Tarleton State University Grad rate: 48.3%	TX	-$33,349	$46,380	$22,981	$21,500	Full ROI →
9	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Grad rate: 85.3%	CA	-$54,592	$46,604	$29,918	$20,000	Full ROI →
10	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Grad rate: 56.0%	WI	-$73,074	$43,601	$18,804	$22,132	Full ROI →
11	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Grad rate: 70.7%	NY	-$90,772	$43,053	$27,958	N/A	Full ROI →
12	Glenville State University Grad rate: 34.2%	WV	-$91,503	$43,589	$22,974	$23,250	Full ROI →
13	Unity Environmental University Grad rate: 54.6%	ME	-$99,990	$43,006	$20,915	$27,000	Full ROI →
14	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 63.4%	ND	-$122,854	$42,358	$23,391	$27,000	Full ROI →
15	St Petersburg College Grad rate: 37.9%	FL	-$134,298	$39,708	$10,634	$34,017	Full ROI →
16	Texas A&M University-College Station Grad rate: 83.7%	TX	-$188,410	$40,469	$32,085	$21,815	Full ROI →
17	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Grad rate: 46.1%	CA	-$236,128	$35,076	$24,412	N/A	Full ROI →
18	Western Carolina University Grad rate: 59.8%	NC	-$246,536	$34,967	$19,057	$21,962	Full ROI →
19	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 62.1%	OH	-$251,609	$37,022	$29,238	$25,998	Full ROI →
20	Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Grad rate: 53.9%	NY	-$256,970	$41,147	$50,865	$27,000	Full ROI →
21	The University of Tennessee-Martin Grad rate: 53.8%	TN	-$260,461	$34,838	$21,628	$22,748	Full ROI →
22	Ohio State University-Main Campus Grad rate: 87.9%	OH	-$265,530	$36,410	$29,320	$27,000	Full ROI →
23	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Grad rate: 70.4%	LA	-$327,732	$34,032	$34,328	$23,008	Full ROI →
24	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Grad rate: 53.7%	OR	-$338,323	$32,900	$27,461	$34,429	Full ROI →
25	Oregon State University Grad rate: 70.3%	OR	-$348,183	$32,900	$29,926	$34,429	Full ROI →
26	Florida Gulf Coast University Grad rate: 57.3%	FL	-$358,271	$29,207	$18,269	$21,730	Full ROI →
27	University of Miami Grad rate: 84.2%	FL	-$402,892	$37,397	$77,708	N/A	Full ROI →
28	University of Georgia Grad rate: 87.6%	GA	-$474,544	$23,760	$27,436	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Natural Resources Management and Policy Degrees by State

Browse Natural Resources Management and Policy programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.