Can you tell me about the Animal Science major?

[aspirevet]

Hello all it's been a while since I've posted on here and a lot has happened since!

I'm currently considering what major I'll do for undergrad. I'm thinking maybe animal science (possibly at Colorado State) but it seems that's a lot about meat production and whatnot. I don't mind that too much but I'd rather not have a major that is solely focused on that. My main goal is a major that allows me to interact with animals and has an aspect of science/medicine in it.

Can anyone tell me a little more about the major?

Other majors I'm considering are Equine science (but probably not since even though I've always loved horses I haven't taken riding lessons in years) and maybe Wildlife conservation/biology.

Anyway thanks for the help

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[Gwenevre]

The best person to ask that kind of info would be an Animal Science advisor, or talk to the advisors in all three of these departments and compare/contrast.
As far as vet school goes, it doesn't matter what undergrad major you have, as long as you complete (and do well) in your prereqs. You can have an art major and get into vet school with the right classes.
In my Animal Science course, I took one and a half courses in meat science. Everything else was science, nutrition, anatomy, physiology, cell bio, etc. We offered animal management courses to get you hands-on experience with routine farm animal maintenance (shearing sheep, castrating piglets, so on).
But the vast majority of my animal/vet experience (note that getting vet hours is very crucial to getting accepted to vet school) I got outside of my college life. I spent hours a week volunteering at clinics and with an equine club to get hours of hands-on animal experience.
So really, research these three majors and the classes that specifically pertain to each of them, and pick the one you think you'll enjoy the most

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Major in something that will give you a secondary career if vet school does not work out or if you change your mind. Do not pigeonhole yourself too much. Equine and wildlife are likely not good choices in that regard - to get a well-paying job in those fields you need either a lot of luck and networking, or additional schooling such as a graduate degree.

 

[Gwenevre]

I feel like in the ANSC industry to get a well-paying job you need the contacts and grad degree as well

 

[thecatastrophist]

there will be some variation depending on the school. Peruse the undergraduate.catalog and talk to an animal science advisor.

Remember that while certain majors might give you some good exposure through courses, your major choice can be anything that interests you that provides career alternatives should you not go to vet school.

Try doing some research and seeing if anything grabs you. No matter your major, what matters is that you have then attributes a committee is looking for. You'll need out-of-classroom animal/vet experience no matter what your major.

 

[aspirevet]

Thanks! I'm kinda a mixed bag as far as interests go as I'm both artsy and science-y. I've been taking honors art courses for 3 years while taking an Anatomy & Physiology course and Sports Med course. I also enjoy things like photography and music as far as art goes. Even though I love art I don't see me as doing that as a major/career.

I've shadowed at a vet clinic and volunteered at animal shelters...I'm also going on a trip this summer that focuses on animal conservation so I'll get a feel for that.

I kinda feel like equine science would give me better options career-wise if I chose not to go to vet school/didn't get in. But I feel like all the equine science majors are experienced horse people whereas I'm really not. I suppose I could choose an animal science major and have electives with other courses I'm interested in?

 

[Gwenevre]

I have heard that there is a lot of turnover in the equine field, but you will need the experience and the networking to find your niche, or at least find a good job.

 

[WildZoo]

Thanks! I'm kinda a mixed bag as far as interests go as I'm both artsy and science-y. I've been taking honors art courses for 3 years while taking an Anatomy & Physiology course and Sports Med course. I also enjoy things like photography and music as far as art goes. Even though I love art I don't see me as doing that as a major/career.

I've shadowed at a vet clinic and volunteered at animal shelters...I'm also going on a trip this summer that focuses on animal conservation so I'll get a feel for that.

I kinda feel like equine science would give me better options career-wise if I chose not to go to vet school/didn't get in. But I feel like all the equine science majors are experienced horse people whereas I'm really not. I suppose I could choose an animal science major and have electives with other courses I'm interested in?

I double majored in Biology and Fiction Writing, and minored in English lit. Really the best thing to do is talk to an advisor about what courses and subjects interest you, what job prospects interest you, and decide on your major from there. Obviously the easiest thing is going to be a major where most of the prereqs are built in so you don't have to do much extra stuff, but that isn't the only way to do it.

 

[Caia]

I majored in Equine Science and really enjoyed it (though I double majored in Biology as well to provide myself some options) -- that being said, a lot of people that entered into it had these grandiose ideas that once graduating with the degree, they would be able to work as a fancy horse trainer or breeder and do whatever they wanted, despite not having a ton of experience to start with.

A lot ended up picking up a second major (such as Ag Business or Business Management) to give them more options in other industries.

I'm not saying that it's not valuable in what you learn, but the degree alone won't do much for opening doors in the horse industry. It's what you do outside of school, your experience, your connections, etc. that get you places. You can develop these during school, but it takes dedication.

 

[aspirevet]

Zoology seems interesting as well, though I don't think it's really hands-on with animals. But of course I would be getting that with outside experience

 

[thecatastrophist]

I concentrated in zoology, and at least at my university and for other programs, no, it isn't very hands-on unless you're talking about smaller experiences with animals in lab. I took a vertebrate embryology class where we did a project on zebrafish and during conservation biology we learned how to run models that zoo researchers commonly use. I also knew that a select few classes that met at our field station over the summer had some field experience.

Of course, most of the experience will be obtained through outside experience. I got some cool experience volunteering and fundraising for zoos and shelters through zoology club, and I ended up taking up an independent project dissecting and skeletonizing/reconstructing wildlife and zoo animals (I highly recommend it! I got to do my own project with a large snapping turtle). At least from what I've seen, though, it's pretty much going to be a fact that you'll need to find outside experience regardless of major.

As somebody who's advised undergraduates before, an option that might be good for you would be to remain undecided if your university allows it for the first semester. Regardless of what you major in, there'll be a few things you'll just need to take as vet school prerequisites go like introductory biology, chemistry, math, etc. You can use gen ed credit to delve into non-science subjects that might interest you. That'll give you time to get to know the advisers pretty well. A lot of the time, university advisers have a master's degree in the subject they advise. They'll be able to talk about what the job market and opportunities are for each major. When you have a better feel for what you like and what you don't like, you can declare a major.