Animal Science Major

Animal Science Major
Animal Science Course Offerings

College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

  • Required credits to graduate with this degree: 120
  • Required credits within the major: 65 to 88
  • This program requires summer terms.
  • Degree: Bachelor of Science

The animal science major prepares students for veterinary school, work as managers or technical advisors for animal production systems, various careers in animal industries or biotechnology, or graduate study in animal-related specializations. Areas of emphasis include industry and business, production, companion animal, equine, or pre-veterinary science. In addition, depending on the area of emphasis, students may select from the following areas of study: dairy, beef, sheep, swine, equine, companion animal, or poultry.

Tracks

Choose Your Emphasis

  1. The Pre-Veterinary Medicine/Science emphasis provides a thorough knowledge base of the physical and biological sciences including physiology, nutrition, reproduction, genetics, and applied biotechnology. This option can help you prepare for veterinary school, graduate study, or a career in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, or animal science industries.
     
  2. The Industry and Business emphasis combines courses in business, communication, and technical animal science to prepare you for a career in agribusiness, sales and marketing, or commodity promotion.
     
  3. The Production emphasis provides you with a solid overview of animal nutrition, genetics, health, and management for all species, but primarily within the food animal fields and exotic/zoo area. You customize your program with more in-depth courses that focus on a particular area—beef, dairy, poultry, sheep, swine or exotics/zoo animals. Students in this emphasis may obtain careers in a wide variety of areas including livestock management enterprises, as animal nutrition consultants, in reproduction fields, as production facility managers, or animal product inspectors. Students who focus on the exotic animal fields can obtain careers such as zoo keeping or wild animal rehabilitation centers.
     
  4. The Companion Animal emphasis is designed for students interested in learning more about the significant impact these animals play in the lives of humans. Our students are able to become involved in courses that discuss issues surrounding welfare and hot topics. However, because the creative side is only part of the industry, our students will also understand biology, physiology, nutrition, health, and management that will open up many potential career opportunities such as working in shelters, pet store management, service animal management and companion animal behavior.
     
  5. The Equine emphasis offers undergraduate students the opportunity to take specialized courses focusing on horses while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. Our students can gain hands-on experience with horses through courses, internships, research and part-time student employment. These experiences enhance our strong, science-based curriculum and prepare students to be future leaders in the horse industry as well as other industries.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Because learning occurs both inside and outside the classroom, our program incorporates a variety of hands-on learning experiences. From the small or large animal veterinary hospitals to the livestock barns and research labs, you will have numerous opportunities to work with animals. If you're interested in animal science research, you can earn a grant through the University's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), which fosters student-faculty research partnerships. In addition, award-winning faculty members teach your animal science courses and serve as your advisor. Your faculty advisor will also help you select an internship or thesis project that fits your interests and career goals.

Apply Now

Visit the University of Minnesota Office of Admissions.

Major Coordinator

Anthony Seykora
Professor-Dairy Cattle Genetics/Youth Programs & Director of Undergraduate Studies
225B Haecker Hall
1364 Eckles Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108-6118
seyko001@umn.edu
612-624-3448

Academic Advisor

​​​​Grant McCormack
grantkm@umn.edu
612-624-3521
130 Coffey Hall, St. Paul Campus

Michelle Overtoom
overt012@umn.edu
612-624-5989
130 Coffey Hall, St. Paul Campus

Megan Schmidt
schm2221@umn.edu 
612-624-2289
130 Coffey Hall, St. Paul Campus