Home›Majors›Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management

ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 0306

Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 5 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$201,829 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

—Modeled economic break-even

−165%Modeled 10-year ROI

$37,069Observed earnings · year 4

Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$37,069Median reported earnings · year 4

$39,349Average reported earnings · year 5

$12,500Median federal debt

15thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

5Reporting programs

5With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $44,821
Federal debt: $19,839
Reporting programs: 2

2 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $37,069
Federal debt: $12,500
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $45,348
Federal debt: $24,937
Reporting programs: 38

37 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$37,069National median$37,06975th percentile$37,139

5 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Hocking College$38,541 2Garrett College$37,139 3Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois$37,069 4Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$37,069 5Zane State College$27,386

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Conservation ScientistsSOC 19-1031 · 1 crosswalk linksForestry and Conservation Science Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1043 · 1 crosswalk linksZoologists and Wildlife BiologistsSOC 19-1023 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR WILDLIFE AND WILDLANDS SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	10-year ROI	Verdict
1	Hocking CollegeAssociate's Degree	Nelsonville, OH	$38,541	$12,500	-155%	Negative payoff
2	Garrett CollegeAssociate's Degree	McHenry, MD	$37,139	Not available	-172%	Negative payoff
3	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBoisAssociate's Degree	DuBois, PA	$37,069	Not available	-164%	Negative payoff
4	Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusAssociate's Degree	University Park, PA	$37,069	Not available	-151%	Negative payoff
5	Zane State CollegeAssociate's Degree	Zanesville, OH	$27,386	Not available	-266%	Negative payoff

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.