Natural Resources & Conservation Researchat University of California-Berkeley
Graduates earn $47,338/yr in their first year — about 37.0% above the national Natural Resources & Conservation Research average. Base-case 10-year earnings $749K; scenarios range from $656K to $783K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Berkeley
While the core of this degree is in science, your strong earnings potential comes from the Berkeley brand and its Bay Area location. You won't just be studying ecosystems; you'll be learning advanced data analysis and policy, skills highly valued by the region's top environmental consulting firms, tech companies building sustainability tools, and major state agencies like the California Air Resources Board. Many of your classmates will be aiming for top-tier graduate programs, which creates a rigorous, research-focused environment. The high AI risk score reflects that routine environmental modeling can be automated, making your uniquely human skills—field leadership, policy negotiation, and creative problem-solving—even more critical for long-term success. Your key move: aggressively pursue internships with private consulting firms or government labs to build a professional network beyond academia before you graduate.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Berkeley's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Natural Resources & Conservation Research
How UC Berkeley stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Berkeley
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Berkeley, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Natural Resources & Conservation Research offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Natural Resources & Conservation Research trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Natural Resources & Conservation Research at UC Berkeley
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Natural Resources & Conservation Research at University of California-Berkeley?
A score of 58/100 puts this program in competitive territory — solid outcomes, though not at the top of the Natural Resources & Conservation Research field.
Will AI replace Natural Resources & Conservation Research careers?
With 48% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $656,186 in decade earnings vs $782,628 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
What makes University of California-Berkeley's Natural Resources & Conservation Research program stand out?
Ranked #5 of 256 programs nationally, University of California-Berkeley lands in the top 5%. The ranking reflects a combination of graduate earnings, return on investment, and job market alignment.