MAJORS · 54 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a natural resources conservation degree worth it?
Part of Agriculture and Natural Resources — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$229,745. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$229,745
across 329 bachelor’s programs · 22,007 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$183K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
+$53K ⟷ +$378K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
20%
MEDIAN BREAK-EVEN AGE
37
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
+$109K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$113K
Questions
- Is a natural resources conservation degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 329 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Natural Resources Conservation is +$229,745 and the median is +$183,299. 20% of graduates in this field never break even on the degree. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between +$52,758 and +$377,547.
- How long until a natural resources conservation degree pays off?
- Among Natural Resources Conservation programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 37 (FREOPP 2021). 20% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- Does the school matter for a natural resources conservation major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Natural Resources Conservation graduates span +$52,758 to +$377,547 — a +$325K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Natural Resources Conservation: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/natural-resources-conservation