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2025 Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools

78 Colleges in the United States
7,109 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,892 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in animal science, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #64 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 78 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 7,109 bachelor's degrees in animal science during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Animal Science School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of animal science for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality animal science program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for animal science students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Animal Science Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Animal Science in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in animal science. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

15 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Animal Science

1
375 Annual Graduates
$35,582 Median Starting Salary
$35,495 Median Student Debt

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in animal science. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the animal science program state that they receive average early career income of $35,582.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Texas A&M University - College Station

2
241 Annual Graduates
$39,567 Median Starting Salary
$28,212 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in animal science has to check out Iowa State University. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Animal Science bachelor's degree recipients from Iowa State University receive an earnings boost of around $5,675 over the average income of animal science majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Iowa State University

3

Cornell University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in animal science. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.

Animal Science bachelor's degree recipients from Cornell University receive an earnings boost of about $2,312 over the typical income of animal science graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Cornell University

4
368 Annual Graduates
$32,309 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of California - Davis if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in animal science. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the animal science program report average early career income of $32,309.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from University of California - Davis

5
213 Annual Graduates
$33,332 Median Starting Salary
$32,668 Median Student Debt

NC State is a very large public university located in the city of Raleigh.

After graduating, animal science bachelor's recipients usually earn around $33,332 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from North Carolina State University

6
126 Annual Graduates
$41,292 Median Starting Salary
$40,351 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.

Animal Science bachelor's degree recipients from Michigan State University get an earnings boost of around $7,400 over the typical income of animal science majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Michigan State University

7
117 Annual Graduates
$44,844 Median Starting Salary

South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Brookings.

Bachelor's recipients from the animal science program at South Dakota State University earn $10,952 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from South Dakota State University

8
131 Annual Graduates
$30,187 Median Starting Salary
$46,598 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the animal science program report average early career earnings of $30,187.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9
238 Annual Graduates
$38,868 Median Starting Salary
$35,464 Median Student Debt

K -State is a large public university located in the city of Manhattan.

Bachelor's recipients from the animal science major at Kansas State University get $4,976 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Kansas State University

10
104 Annual Graduates
$34,073 Median Starting Salary
$23,510 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the animal science program earn about $34,073 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

11

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Animal Science bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of approximately $10,462 over the typical income of animal science graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from University of Wisconsin - Madison

12
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
164 Annual Graduates
$28,729 Median Starting Salary
$40,968 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the animal science program report average early career income of $28,729.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Virginia Tech

13
88 Annual Graduates
$31,769 Median Starting Salary
$18,008 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, animal science bachelor's recipients usually make around $31,769 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from University of Georgia

14
146 Annual Graduates
$35,318 Median Starting Salary
$23,775 Median Student Debt

Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the animal science program report average early career earnings of $35,318.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Purdue University - Main Campus

15
148 Annual Graduates
$33,642 Median Starting Salary
$26,622 Median Student Debt

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the animal science program make about $33,642 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in animal science from Ohio State University - Main Campus

Rest of the Top Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Animal Science students that almost earned our Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
26North Dakota State University - Main CampusFargo, ND
16California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA
17University of FloridaGainesville, FL
18University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
19Oklahoma State University - Main CampusStillwater, OK

Animal Science by Region

View the Best Animal Science Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Animal Science is one of 18 different types of Agriculture & Agriculture Operations programs to choose from.

Animal Science Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Animal Sciences, General6,724
Poultry Science154
Dairy Science138
Animal Sciences, Other86
Animal Health4
Livestock Management3

Majors Similar to Animal Science

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Agricultural Economics & Business4,891
Plant Sciences1,927
General Agriculture1,916
Food Science Technology1,188
Agricultural Public Services628
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians581
Agricultural Production563
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs434
Other Agriculture416
Horticulture333

Notes and References

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