Best Schools for Natural Resources Management and Policy in 2026
These are the top schools offering Natural Resources Management and Policy, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Natural Resources Management and Policy graduate earns $37,130/yr across 26 schools.
All Natural Resources Management and Policy Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Public |
62
60–63 |
$38,766/yr | 47.7x |
| 2 |
Glenville State University
Glenville, WV · Public |
62
58–62 |
$42,490/yr | 14.4x |
| 3 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public |
60
59–61 |
$37,126/yr | 14.7x |
| 4 |
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Fargo, ND · Public |
60
57–61 |
$40,971/yr | 13.0x |
| 5 |
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI · Public |
59
56–60 |
$44,445/yr | 8.8x |
| 6 |
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, CA · Public |
59
59–60 |
$31,760/yr | 24.6x |
| 7 |
Unity Environmental University
New Gloucester, ME · Private nonprofit |
58
55–59 |
$41,685/yr | 10.7x |
| 8 |
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI · Public |
58
55–59 |
$40,553/yr | 14.0x |
| 9 |
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV · Public |
57
53–58 |
$47,232/yr | 11.2x |
| 10 |
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public |
54
50–55 |
$48,967/yr | 6.7x |
| 11 |
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC · Public |
54
53–55 |
$36,846/yr | 22.4x |
| 12 |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, LA · Public |
50
49–50 |
$32,516/yr | 11.0x |
| 13 |
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX · Public |
50
50–51 |
$32,036/yr | 15.0x |
| 14 |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Durham, NH · Public |
49
46–49 |
$41,681/yr | 4.5x |
| 15 |
Texas A & M University-College Station
College Station, TX · Public |
48
48–49 |
$30,362/yr | 10.6x |
| 16 |
Everglades University
Boca Raton, FL · Private nonprofit |
48
45–49 |
$41,859/yr | 4.0x |
| 17 |
Oregon State University-Cascades Campus
Bend, OR · Public |
48
45–48 |
$39,422/yr | 8.0x |
| 18 |
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Paul Smiths, NY · Private nonprofit |
47
44–48 |
$41,863/yr | 3.3x |
| 19 |
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR · Public |
47
45–48 |
$39,422/yr | 7.4x |
| 20 |
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID · Public |
45
44–46 |
$34,542/yr | 8.8x |
| 21 |
The University of Tennessee-Martin
Martin, TN · Public |
45
44–45 |
$33,543/yr | 10.1x |
| 22 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public |
44
42–44 |
$36,040/yr | 4.2x |
| 23 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public |
43
42–44 |
$35,019/yr | 7.7x |
| 24 |
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL · Public |
42
42–43 |
$30,818/yr | 13.3x |
| 25 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH · Public |
38
38–38 |
$24,596/yr | 8.1x |
| 26 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI · Public |
32
31–33 |
$20,825/yr | 3.3x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.