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Natural Resource Management Degree Earns Top 15 National Ranking

August 24, 2021

Angelo State University’s Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in natural resource management degree program has been ranked among the nation’s “Best Bachelor’s Degrees in Environmental Management” by the Study.com higher education resource guide.

Offered through its Department of Agriculture, ASU’s degree program is ranked No. 13 in the U.S., and ASU is the only Texas university with a program in the 2021 Study.com rankings. Only accredited public and private schools were eligible for the rankings, which were formulated using data from the U.S. Department of Education and school websites. Criteria for the rankings included:

According to Study.com, “Our rankings focus on quality school programs that provide a high-value education, while still being accessible and affordable. That’s why things like price, value, and attainability are major factors for schools in all our lists.”

Dr. Cody Scott Dr. Cody Scott ASU’s B.S. in natural resource management degree program prepares students for careers in range management, natural resource conservation, ecology, wildlife biology and similar fields. Faculty director of the program is Dr. Cody Scott, who has won multiple awards from the Texas and international sections of the Society for Range Management.

In addition to classroom studies, students get hands-on experience in invasive plant management, prescribed burning, brush control, spotlight deer and wildlife counts, and many other activities at ASU’s 6,000-acre Management, Instruction and Research Center, more commonly called the ASU Ranch.

“It is truly an honor to work with faculty who are focused on student success,” Scott said. “Our ability to combine classroom instruction with hands-on training provides students with the skills necessary to be successful after graduation.”

Many ASU graduates of the program work as county extension agents throughout Texas and for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Plus, the Natural Resources Conservation Service lists ASU as a “Preferred University” for hiring new employees.

ASU has also been ranked among the “Great Schools” for undergraduate majors in agriculture by The Princeton Review. The Department of Agriculture offers five bachelor’s degrees and two master’s degrees that cover every aspect of the agriculture industry, and all of them are supplemented by hands-on training and research at the ASU Ranch. More details are available angelo.edu/agriculture.