Natural Resources Conservation and Research at Emory University

That $21,227 first-year salary should catch your attention—it ranks in just the 10th percentile among Georgia's conservation programs and 5th percentile nationally. For a highly selective school like Emory (11% admission rate), these graduates are earning roughly $15,000 less than peers at University of North Georgia and well below the state median of $36,000. The debt load of $23,172 is typical for this field, but when paired with those initial earnings, it creates a debt-to-income ratio above 1.0, meaning graduates owe more than they earn in year one.

The dramatic earnings growth to $53,000 by year four tells a more optimistic story and suggests graduates eventually find their footing professionally. However, that small sample size (under 30 students) makes these numbers particularly unreliable—a few graduates in low-paying internships or pursuing graduate school could skew the entire dataset. At a school of Emory's caliber, it's also worth questioning whether this represents typical outcomes or whether the program serves students pursuing specific career paths (research positions, graduate school) that temporarily depress earnings.

If your child is set on conservation work and drawn to Emory's research opportunities and academic prestige, understand they'll likely face financial pressure early on. The program's outcomes lag behind less selective in-state options, which raises questions about return on investment for this particular major at this price point.