Animal Science at South Dakota State University

If you are interested in studying animal science, you may want to check out the program at South Dakota State University. The following information will help you decide if it is a good fit for you.

South Dakota State is located in Brookings, South Dakota and approximately 11,405 students attend the school each year. Of the 1,977 students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University in 2021, 110 of them were animal science majors.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Animal Science section at the bottom of this page.

South Dakota State Animal Science Degrees Available

• Basic Certificate in Animal Science (Less Than 1 Year)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science
• Master’s Degree in Animal Science
• Doctorate Degree in Animal Science

South Dakota State Animal Science Rankings

The following rankings from College Factual show how the animal science progam at South Dakota State compares to programs at other colleges and universities.

Note: Rankings don't always give a complete picture of a school's strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to extend your research and also look at other factors when trying to decide if the school is right for you.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The animal science major at South Dakota State is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Animal Science. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Best Animal Science Doctor’s Degree Schools	1
Most Focused Animal Science Doctor’s Degree Schools	1
Best Value Animal Science Master’s Degree Schools	2
Best Animal Science Schools	2
Most Popular Animal Science Master’s Degree Schools	7

In 2021, 14 students received their master’s degree in animal science from South Dakota State. This makes it the #7 most popular school for animal science master’s degree candidates in the country.

There were 10 students who received their doctoral degrees in animal science, making the school the #3 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

Earnings of South Dakota State Animal Science Graduates

The median salary of animal science students who receive their bachelor's degree at South Dakota State is $40,797. This is great news for graduates of the program, since this figure is 39% higher than the national average of $29,345 for all animal science bachelor's degree recipients.

Animal Science Student Demographics at South Dakota State

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the animal science majors at South Dakota State University.

South Dakota State Animal Science Bachelor’s Program

Of the 110 animal science students who graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020-2021 from South Dakota State, about 32% were men and 68% were women. The typical animal science bachelor's degree program is made up of only 20% men. So male students are more repesented at South Dakota State since its program graduates 12% more men than average.

About 96% of those who receive a bachelor's degree in animal science at South Dakota State are white. This is above average for this degree on the nationwide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor's in animal science.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	1
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	106
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

South Dakota State Animal Science Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 14 students graduated with a master's degree in animal science from South Dakota State. About 36% were men and 64% were women. Nationwide, master's degree programs only see 20% men graduate in animal science each year. South Dakota State does a better job at serving the male population as it supports 16% more men than average.

Of the students who received a animal science master's degree from South Dakota State, 57% were white. This is below average for this degree on the natiowide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from South Dakota State University with a master's in animal science.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	2
White	8
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

South Dakota State also has a doctoral program available in animal science. In 2021, 10 students graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Related Majors

• Horticulture
• Food Science Technology
• Agricultural Mechanization
• Agricultural Production
• Agricultural Economics & Business

Careers That Animal Science Grads May Go Into

A degree in animal science can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for SD, the home state for South Dakota State University.

Occupation	Jobs in SD	Average Salary in SD
Agricultural Sciences Professors	80	$81,860
Animal Scientists	60	$59,960

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By AlexiusHoratius under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.