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
Master’s Degree	405
Doctor’s Degree	178
Graduate Certificate	13

What Animal Science Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, animal science majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

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

When studying animal science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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

As you progress with your animal science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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 Master’s Degree in Animal Science?

The major attracts more women than men. About 70% 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	9
Black or African American	17
Hispanic or Latino	35
White	264
International Students	55
Other Races/Ethnicities	25

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Animal Science, too. About 13.6% 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?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in animal science was $68,147 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $59,776 (25th percentile) and $75,744 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a animal science degree.

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. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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
Plant Sciences	912
Food Science Technology	692
Agricultural Economics & Business	410
General Agriculture	353
Agricultural Public Services	179
Agricultural Production	163
Soil Sciences	158
Other Agriculture	104
International Agriculture	46
Horticulture	15
Animal Services	8
Food Processing	2
Agricultural Mechanization	0
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	0

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.