Animal Science Major

The Department of Animal and Food Science offers a four-year undergraduate degree in Animal Science. The Animal Science curriculum covers all aspects of farm animal production including feeding, breeding, health and management as well as the processing of food and fiber products derived from animals. Our faculty provide students with a rich educational foundation, rooted in both science-based classroom work and hands-on activity at our laboratory farms.

Because the Animal Science Major is housed within the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, students receive a well-rounded education. Our students see first hand how disciplines such as Ag Business, Ag Engineering, and Crop Science work together with Animal Science to develop individuals who are uniquely qualified to meet the challenges of today's animal industries.

Students can specialize in one of the following emphases:

• Meat Animals
• Equine (Horses)
• Veterinary Technology

In addition, options create a more solid foundation for your designated career path:

• Management Option: Emphasizes coursework in agricultural economics and is excellent preparation for a career in agri-business.
  
• Science Option: Fulfills the requirements for pre-veterinary medicine or graduate school.
  
• Minor Option: As an alternative to the Management or Science option, students can pair their major with an academic minor (i.e. minor in Ag Business or Modern Languages) to develop a more in-depth understanding of a second area of interest.

Pre-Veterinary Medicine is offered as a pre-professional program or secondary major (it is not a stand alone degree). Most Pre-Vet students have a primary major in Animal Science or Biology.

Faculty

The Animal and Food Science Department offers a major in Animal Science (Emphasis in Equine, Meat Animal, and Veterinary Technology) as well as a major in Dairy Science. The faculty and staff consists of 13 full-time members with specific expertise in various animal science disciplines including nutrition, reproduction, genetics, breeding, physiology, animal health, livestock management, and meat and dairy products. In addition, our faculty possesses a broad base of experience with all farm animal species. Two of the current faculty members have won the campus-wide “Distinguished Teacher of the Year” award.

Facilities

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences maintains two laboratory teaching farms. Both the Mann Valley Farm and the Campus Farm are heavily used for course work by the Animal Science faculty. These farms include dairy, beef, swine, sheep, poultry, and equine enterprises. In addition, the Animal and Food Science Department operates an on-campus dairy manufacturing plant and a fully-equipped meat processing facility.