Animal Science

Types of Degrees Animal Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many animal science graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	7,268
Master’s Degree	405
Associate Degree	272
Doctor’s Degree	178
Undergraduate Certificate	82
Basic Certificate	76
Graduate Certificate	13

What Animal Science Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to animal science were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Animal Science Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in animal science should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Skills for Animal Science Majors

animal science majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Animal Science Majors

A major in animal science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Animal Science Major?

People with a animal science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Animal Scientists	4.9%	$58,380
Farm and Home Management Advisors	7.7%	$49,840
First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers	2.1%	$46,960

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 7,268 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 2021, making it rank #64 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 81% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of animal science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	277
Black or African American	349
Hispanic or Latino	1,111
White	4,977
International Students	82
Other Races/Ethnicities	472

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Animal Science. About 1.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Brazil
• India
• South Korea
• Canada

How Much Do Animal Science Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that animal science students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $29,345 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $25,963 (25th percentile) and $32,644 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to animal science.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $52,700 to $79,940 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to animal science. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Animal Science

Some careers associated with animal science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to animal science have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.9%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	11.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	10.1%
Some College Courses	1.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	22.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.1%
Master’s Degree	19.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	20.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	5.7%

Online Animal Science Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 143 schools offered some type of animal science program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	14	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	46	1
Bachelor’s Degree	6	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	75	2
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	52	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Animal Science Worth It?

The median salary for a animal science grad is $67,690 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 70% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $555,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Animal Science

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to animal science.

Major	Number of Grads
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	8,646
Agricultural Economics & Business	8,098
General Agriculture	3,370
Horticulture	3,234
Plant Sciences	3,175
Agricultural Production	3,066
Food Science Technology	2,532
Agricultural Mechanization	1,280
Animal Services	990
Agricultural Public Services	845
Other Agriculture	602
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	527
Soil Sciences	406
Food Processing	237
International Agriculture	122
Veterinary Administrative Services	118

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
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Billy Hathorn under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.