Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services
Colleges award this field under 6 named programs, from Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming to Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 6 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming
- Prepares you to provide cosmetic services for household pets, show animals, work animals and animal athletes. Covers skin, coat, and pelt grooming and styling; skin care; hoof, nail, and claw care; animal massage; minor first aid and veterinary referral; animal grooming products and applications; health and safety; and applicable regulations.
- Animal Training
- Prepares you to teach and exercise animals for leisure, sport, show, and professional purposes. Covers animal psychology, health, and safety; human-animal interaction; learning and behavior styles associated with different breeds and species; and the technical and pedagogical aspects of training animals for such specific functions as obedient household pets, performing show animals, animal athletes, caregiving (e.g., seeing-eye dogs), search and rescue, and police/security work.
- Equestrian/Equine Studies
- Focuses on the horse, horsemanship, and related subjects and prepares you to care for horses and horse equipment; ride and drive horses for leisure, sport, show, and professional purposes; and manage the training of horses and riders. Covers horse breeding, nutrition, health, and safety; history of the horse and horsemanship; horse development and training; riding and equestrian technique; stable, paddock, and track management; and equipment maintenance and repair.
- Taxidermy/Taxidermist
- Prepares you to reproduce life-like three-dimensional representations of living animals for permanent display using elements of the deceased specimen(s) as well as artificial materials, and to manage taxidermy services and businesses. Covers specimen grading and selection, caping and fleshing, preservation procedures, tanning, drying, measurements, form and armature construction, carpentry and woodworking, molding and casting, drawing, sculptural techniques, painting and finishing techniques, basic business operations, customer communications, and applicable laws and regulations.
- Farrier Science
- Study that prepares you to become specialists in equine hoof care (farriers). Covers equine science, equine health and first aid, general horseshoeing, corrective horseshoeing, gait analysis, and metal forging techniques using gas or coal.
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other
- Agricultural and domestic animal services not listed above.
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Animal Caretakers
- Median pay
- $35,360
- Hiring change through 2035
- 12.1%
- Job openings a year
- 62,800
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career ShrinkingCareer/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $63,820
- Hiring change through 2035
- −0.3%
- Job openings a year
- 8,000
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyAnimal Trainers
- Median pay
- $39,990
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.2%
- Job openings a year
- 6,500
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career Growing with the economyAgricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $98,700
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.9%
- Job openings a year
- 800
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
Most careers connected to this field involve in-person work. About 99 of every 100 openings require working close to other people or spending time on your feet.
College options
Where to study it
Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.
| College | Degrees a year | Admit rate | Average annual cost after aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins CO | 73 | 90% | $16,000 |
| West Texas A & M University TX | 11 | 97% | $19,000 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence RI | 9 | 84% | $28,000 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design GA | 8 | 84% | $49,000 |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus ND | 8 | 96% | $12,000 |
| Texas A & M University-Commerce TX | 4 | 93% | $12,000 |