Is a environmental science and conservation degree from UMass Lowell worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 60% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

UMass Lowell Environmental Science and Conservation (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do UMass Lowell environmental science and conservation graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 12th lowest of 13 environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do UMass Lowell environmental science and conservation graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 77% (27 of 35) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Public university
Lowell, MA
About 26 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Lowell environmental science and conservation graduates earn more than graduates of most environmental science and conservation programs nationally, $45,215 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 88% of environmental science and conservation programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$45,21593rd percentile of 247 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,00012th lowest of 13 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings60%Massachusetts median 60%, national 67%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	UMass Lowell	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$45,215	$36,767	$33,976
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,457	$23,078
Debt as share of first-year pay	60%	60%	67%
Programs compared		16	247

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts environmental science and conservation program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.

UMass LowellOther Massachusetts programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $9,685 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$40,656Median debt $28,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$50,341Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (27 of 35) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $45,215 salary here buys what about $41,763 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to environmental science and conservation, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Compliance Officers

$102,060

Median pay in Massachusetts. 13,190 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,340Top 10%: $161,920

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$100,640

Median pay in Massachusetts. 2,930 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,460Top 10%: $139,310

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

$59,330

Median pay in Massachusetts. 330 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $43,990Top 10%: $81,340

Forest and Conservation Technicians

$56,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $51,730Top 10%: $72,130

About UMass Lowell

In-state tuition and fees	$16,966 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$36,264 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,163 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	11,434

Environmental Science and Conservation ranks 15th of 27 bachelor's programs at UMass Lowell by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($86,167), Computer Engineering ($85,280), and Electrical Engineering ($82,798).

Other environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs near Lowell

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass LowellLowell, MA · public		$45,215	$27,000
Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	19 mi	$68,600	$27,000
Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$40,044	$18,050
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$49,111	$17,200
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$51,137	$23,430
SNHUManchester, NH · private nonprofit	27 mi	$43,868	$32,256
UMass BostonBoston, MA · public	28 mi	$41,547	$21,386
Clark UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$34,500	$26,000
University of New HampshireDurham, NH · public	39 mi	$37,286	$26,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $45,215 one year after graduating. The median across environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $36,767.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Massachusetts comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the environmental science and conservation program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Environmental Science and Conservation bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked16 programs by pay and debt Environmental Science and Conservation bachelor's programs in the US, ranked247 programs by pay and debt All UMass Lowell programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt