How we manage land, water, forests, and wildlife is what you teach and study — training the next generation of resource managers while researching the field. Where resource stewardship gets taught.
The role spans classroom, field, and research: lecturing, leading fieldwork, advising students, writing grants, and publishing. Fieldwork is often woven into the teaching, on the academic calendar. You bridge science, policy, and practice, and research and teaching tend to compete for your hours.
The field sits where science meets contested land and politics, and tenure and publishing pressure tend to weigh on early careers. Funding shapes your research, the issues are real and divisive, and balancing science with competing interests is constant. The teaching-research mix varies by institution.
It tends to suit people who care about resources and love teaching about them, with field experience to draw on. If you'd rather manage land directly or chase pure research, the classroom may chafe. But if shaping how the next generation stewards the land is your kind of impact, it's rewarding work.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How we manage land, water, forests, and wildlife is what you teach and study — training the next generation of resource managers while researching the field. Where resource stewardship gets taught.
Median pay for a Natural Resources Faculty Member is about $101K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $59K to $155K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Instructing, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Learning Strategies, and Speaking.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4% through 2034, with roughly 1,310 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Research Professor, Natural Resources Professor, and Ecology Professor.
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