Animal Scientists
Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.
- Median pay
- $68,940
- Doing it now
- 3,400
- By 2035
- Up 5.8%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
200 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
- Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
- Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
- Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
- Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
- Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Animal SciencesSee 105 colleges that teach it
- Agriculture, GeneralSee 92 colleges that teach it
- Plant SciencesSee 92 colleges that teach it
- Agricultural Production OperationsSee 68 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Analytical and curious
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $68,940 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.