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Animal Scientists
Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.
- Median pay
- $79,120
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- +5.8%
- Growing
- Typical entry
- Bachelor's degree
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Speaking
What they 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.
- Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
- Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
- Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics.
- Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics.
Majors that lead here
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.