Career
Animal scientists
Study how to raise healthier, more productive animals.
$68,940
Median pay
+5.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
200
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
- Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
- Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
- Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $68,940 a year and 200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Animal ScienceSee the degree →
- Agriculture, GeneralCIP 01.0000
- ApicultureCIP 01.0310
- Animal Sciences, GeneralCIP 01.0901
- Agricultural Animal BreedingCIP 01.0902
- Animal HealthCIP 01.0903
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Food Scientists and Technologists$88,720 · +6.2%
- Soil and Plant Scientists$78,850 · +6.7%
- Microbiologists$87,990 · +6.2%
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 · -3.4%
- Veterinarians$130,100 · +9.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.