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Animal Scientist
Do you love food? Do you love animals, particularly farm animals? Would you like to be a member of a community of professionals that educates the world's farmers, working with them to stamp out hunger worldwide? If so and if you enjoy Biology, Anatomy, farms, and working with, feeding, and studying farm animals, then you would truly enjoy studying to become an expert in Animal Science.
Animal Scientists conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, diseases, and development of domestic farm animals in efforts to formulate more efficient ways of producing and processing meat, poultry, eggs, and milk. To that end, they consult with agricultural producers on how to provide healthy and safe housing for their animals, lower mortality rates, improve parasite and disease control, properly dispose of waste matter, and increase the production of animal products. The totality of their work plays an essential role in maintaining the productivity and safety of our nation's food supply.
The duties of an Animal Scientist include but are not limited to: conducting research and experiments concerning animal nutrition (nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed), breeding, and management to improve products and processes; creating new food products and developing new and better ways to process, package, and deliver them; investigating and analyzing the effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, feeding techniques, and environmental conditions on the quality and quantity of farm animals and their products (eggs, milk, etc.); developing improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, and parasite and disease control of animals; selecting and controlling animals and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality; determining genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits; selecting and crossbreeding animals with existing strains or crossing strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics; advising food producers about improved products and techniques; and communicating research findings to the scientific community, food producers, and the public.
High school students interested in becoming an Animal Scientist benefit from taking Algebra, Trigonometry, Biology/Anatomy, Nutrition, Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics. Students entering Animal Science Bachelor's of Science programs from high school with no previous Animal Science training should expect a period of 4 years to complete said program.
Animal Science seeks to understand the biological processes by which livestock grow and to apply this knowledge to discover ways to improve the quality, quantity, and safety of farm animals and of agricultural products. In the private sector, these scientists spend their time in labs doing tests and experiments or in the field taking samples for food production companies, farms, and processing plants. In academia, they do research to investigate new methods for improving animal health and write grants to soliciting funding for their research. Those working for the federal government conduct research on methods for improving animal safety, conducting clinical trials and experiments on animal subjects and presenting their findings in peer-reviewed journals or other publications.
Because there is a severe shortage of Veterinarians who concentrate on farm animals, Veterinary schools across the country put more emphasis on candidates who are Animal Science Bachelor's of Science graduates. And due to population growth and constant shifts in meat preferences between the different farm animals, demand growth for Animal Scientists and Animal Science graduates will remain strong in order to meet the many challenges of animal production and to offset the surge of scientists set to retire.
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
Median Salary: $61,230
Salary Range: ~$34,990 - $127,600+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
The normal routes to becoming an Animal Scientist have been to major in Animal Science, Animal and Poultry Science, Animal and Food Science, Agricultural Science (Animal Science or Aquatic Science concentrations), Animal, Poultry, and Veterinary Science, Zoology, Veterinary Science, Pre-Veterinary Science, and Aquaculture. Some Animal Science graduates go on to earn a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), choosing the more hands-on approach by establishing their own practice. But, most earn their PhD in Animal Science, choosing to continue their career as a researcher.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
Colleges and universities that have Animal Science and the related majors are: Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Alcorn State University (Lorman, Mississippi); Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee); University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff, Arkansas); Kentucky State University (Frankfort, Kentucky); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); Langston University (Langston, Oklahoma); Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri); Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, Alabama); Alabama A&M University (Huntsville, Alabama); Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); and Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Florida).
Available Scholarships
