Best colleges for Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, California State University-Bakersfield leads: its Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy graduates earn a median $82,315 four years after finishing, against the field's $56,185 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-Bakersfield | $82,315 | +$26,130 |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $68,965 | +$12,780 |
| 3 | California State University-Channel Islands | $67,558 | +$11,373 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Environmental/Natural Resources Management programs?
$14,757 separates the top and bottom of this list — $82,315 at California State University-Bakersfield against $67,558 at California State University-Channel Islands, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Environmental/Natural Resources Management graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $26,130 above the $56,185 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.