ROI Major

Natural Resources Conservation and Research at Ohio University

OH · Certificate Degree · CIP 03.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Natural Resources Conservation and Research degree from Ohio University earn a median salary of $51,223 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $56,851. The degree typically pays for itself in 16.9 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$28,536

Typical Career

$51,223

Top Performers

$68,626

Estimated break-even: 16.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$341

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,269. Most students can comfortably afford about a $341 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services, Educational Services.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 17.9%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 16.1%
Educational Services 10.6%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$56,851

Nominal: $51,223 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

16.9 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $20,268 $29,502 $39,618
5 Years After Graduation $28,536 $51,223 $68,626
10 Years After Graduation

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $51,223 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $51,223 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $56,851 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.