Natural Resources Conservation and Research at University of Southern Maine

The small sample size here demands caution, but University of Southern Maine's Natural Resources Conservation program shows encouraging signs for an accessible public university. With median debt of $26,513 and first-year earnings of $34,465, graduates face manageable loan payments—the 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio sits comfortably below the concerning 1.0 threshold. More importantly, this program carries significantly less debt than typical natural resources programs nationally (13th percentile), while delivering middle-of-the-pack earnings.

Within Maine's conservation education landscape, USM holds its own despite its open-access mission and lower admission standards. The $34,465 starting salary matches the state median exactly and trails the University of Maine by only $5,000—a relatively small gap given UMaine's flagship research status. The debt load is essentially identical to the state median, suggesting USM isn't asking students to pay premium prices for average outcomes.

For families weighing this degree, the real question is career trajectory. Natural resources careers often require graduate education or build slowly through public sector experience, so that $34,000 starting point may not tell the whole story. The manageable debt matters here: your child won't be crushed by payments while working toward that next credential or waiting for advancement. Just remember these numbers represent fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary more than usual.