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Best Schools for Wildlife & Fisheries Science in 2026

37 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Wildlife & Fisheries Science, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Wildlife & Fisheries Science graduate earns $29,851/yr across 37 schools.

Programs Ranked
37
Avg Earnings
$29,851/yr
Avg DW Score
39/100
AI Risk
High
49% task exposure

All Wildlife & Fisheries Science Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# Program DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID 		58
53–60 		$39,896/yr High 20.4x
2 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Valley City State University · Valley City, ND 		56
52–57 		$44,253/yr High 13.8x
3 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Stephen F Austin State University · Nacogdoches, TX 		53
48–56 		$43,282/yr High 12.7x
4 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
South Dakota State University · Brookings, SD 		51
47–52 		$39,483/yr High 11.9x
5 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM 		47
42–51 		$33,603/yr High 14.0x
6 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Arkansas Tech University · Russellville, AR 		42
35–47 		$28,652/yr High 13.4x
7 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Idaho · Moscow, ID 		43
37–47 		$31,022/yr High 12.2x
8 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Northwest Missouri State University · Maryville, MO 		46
42–46 		$36,758/yr High 9.1x
9 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Mississippi State University · Mississippi State, MS 		41
35–46 		$30,247/yr High 11.9x
10 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Florida · Gainesville, FL 		41
34–46 		$23,715/yr High 14.7x
11 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Bemidji State University · Bemidji, MN 		45
41–45 		$35,806/yr High 7.8x
12 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA 		40
33–44 		$26,325/yr High 12.0x
13 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
The University of Montana · Missoula, MT 		41
35–44 		$28,339/yr High 11.4x
14 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Tennessee Technological University · Cookeville, TN 		40
34–44 		$29,936/yr High 10.4x
15 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
West Virginia University · Morgantown, WV 		40
34–44 		$29,470/yr High 10.9x
16 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Nevada-Reno · Reno, NV 		43
40–44 		$33,351/yr High 8.3x
17 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point · Stevens Point, WI 		39
33–43 		$27,273/yr High 11.3x
18 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · Knoxville, TN 		38
32–42 		$30,924/yr High 8.4x
19 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Auburn University · Auburn, AL 		37
30–42 		$28,748/yr High 9.5x
20 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Eastern Kentucky University · Richmond, KY 		36
29–41 		$25,492/yr High 10.0x
21 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Missouri Western State University · Saint Joseph, MO 		41
37–41 		$32,199/yr High 7.2x
22 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Georgia · Athens, GA 		33
26–39 		$22,354/yr High 8.7x
23 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Murray State University · Murray, KY 		37
33–38 		$28,751/yr High 6.4x
24 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Maine · Orono, ME 		35
29–38 		$27,636/yr High 7.3x
25 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Unity Environmental University · New Gloucester, ME 		35
31–37 		$29,312/yr High 5.7x
26 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Utah State University · Logan, UT 		37
33–38 		$27,996/yr High 6.6x
27 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI 		34
28–37 		$27,762/yr High 6.0x
28 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Missouri State University-Springfield · Springfield, MO 		36
32–37 		$26,549/yr High 6.4x
29 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science · Paul Smiths, NY 		35
31–37 		$35,979/yr High 1.8x
30 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of California-Davis · Davis, CA 		35
30–37 		$29,896/yr High 3.9x
31 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus · Durham, NH 		33
27–36 		$27,698/yr High 4.5x
32 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Blacksburg, VA 		33
26–37 		$25,563/yr High 6.3x
33 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Delaware · Newark, DE 		31
24–36 		$22,411/yr High 6.2x
34 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Texas A & M University-Commerce · Commerce, TX 		31
26–33 		$20,295/yr High 4.1x
35 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
University of Rhode Island · Kingston, RI 		31
26–32 		$25,523/yr High 2.9x
36 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Delaware Valley University · Doylestown, PA 		27
22–30 		$28,178/yr High 1.3x
37 Wildlife & Fisheries Science
Otterbein University · Westerville, OH 		23
18–26 		$19,801/yr High 0.4x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Wildlife & Fisheries Science?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, Brigham Young University-Idaho ranks #1 for Wildlife & Fisheries Science with a score of 58/100 and graduate earnings of $39,896/yr.
How much do Wildlife & Fisheries Science graduates earn?
Across 37 schools, Wildlife & Fisheries Science graduates earn an average of $29,851/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $44,253/yr.
Is Wildlife & Fisheries Science a good major for AI resistance?
Wildlife & Fisheries Science has an average AI task exposure of 49%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.