Best Forest programs in Indiana, ranked by enrollment
Provide technical assistance regarding the conservation of soil, water, forests, or related natural resources.
16 schools in Indiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 236 people a year. The job pays a median of $48,660 in Indiana across about 150 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Indiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Indiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Indiana (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Indiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 03.0104In Indiana → | 151 | 64.0% | 14 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0101In Indiana → | 68 | 28.8% | 2 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 3 | CIP 03.0501In Indiana → | 17 | 7.2% | 1 | $42,109 | $21,842 |
Top 16 schools in Indiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 5 of the 16 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 58 | Environmental Science | $31,655 | 80% | — | 78% |
| 2 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 57 | Natural Resources/Conservation, General | $38,989 | 83% | — | 50% |
| 3 | Vincennes University Vincennes, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Natural Resources/Conservation, General | $32,138 | 39% | — | — |
| 4 | Ball State University Muncie, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Environmental Science | $34,000 | 62% | — | 85% |
| 5 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Environmental Science | — | 95% | $19,452 | 11% |
| 6 | Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Environmental Science | $32,469 | 54% | — | 76% |
| 7 | Goshen College Goshen, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Environmental Science | — | 65% | $15,430 | 84% |
| 8 | DePauw University Greencastle, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Environmental Science | — | 75% | $20,874 | 57% |
| 9 | Taylor University Upland, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Environmental Science | — | 74% | $20,836 | 74% |
| 10 | Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Environmental Science | — | 69% | $16,216 | 82% |
| 11 | Hanover College Hanover, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Environmental Science | — | 67% | $20,442 | 84% |
| 12 | University of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 56% | $18,930 | 66% |
| 13 | Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 70% | $20,155 | 89% |
| 14 | University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Environmental Science | — | 55% | $20,012 | 96% |
| 15 | Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Science | — | 67% | $21,351 | 89% |
| 16 | Saint Mary - of - the - Woods College Saint Mary of the Woods, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Science | — | 47% | $43,857 | 72% |
All 16 schools in Indiana
Every school in Indiana with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington | Public | 58 | 1 |
| Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette | Public | 57 | 2 |
| Vincennes University | Vincennes | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Ball State University | Muncie | Public | 19 | 1 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Indiana University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Goshen College | Goshen | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| DePauw University | Greencastle | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Taylor University | Upland | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Grace College and Theological Seminary | Winona Lake | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Hanover College | Hanover | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion | Marion | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What forest and conservation technicians earn in Indiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $54,560. Indiana pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Indiana
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Forest and Conservation Technicians page.
How to become a Forest
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Indiana
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 6 majors mapped to Forest and Conservation Technicians6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0101Natural Resources/Conservation, General
- 03.0104Environmental Science
- 03.0501Forestry, General
- 03.0510Forest Resources Production and Management
- 03.0511Forest Technology/Technician
- 03.0599Forestry, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing forest and conservation technicians programs in Indiana.
What degree do you need to become a Forest?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Environmental Science, which awarded 151 degrees in Indiana in 2024-25, 64.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Forest?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Forestry. Together they graduate about 236 people a year in Indiana.
How much do forest and conservation technicians earn in Indiana?+
The median is $48,660 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.8% below the U.S. median of $54,560. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for forest and conservation technicians growing?+
BLS projects a -3.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Indiana?+
16 institutions in Indiana reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do forest and conservation technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Forestry Aide, Forest Technician, Resource Technician, Forestry Technician (Forestry Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4071.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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