College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Cornell University
• College of the Ozarks
• University of Denver
• Dordt College

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign
• University of California—Davis
• University of Florida
• University of Connecticut
• University of Georgia

Classes in the Major

Biology. The type of biology you'll need to take will depend on the school you attend, ranging from basic biology to microbiology or cell biology. Whichever biology you're placed in, you probably already know it focuses on the inner workings of the cell. While run-of-the-mill biology is important, you'll get much more in-depth training on those principles through your higher-level courses, so don't be bashful about studying up on transfer proteins early on.

Chemistry. Before you recommend fertilizer to someone or start gleefully injecting fuzzy creatures with medicine, you may want to learn a little about why they work the way they do. That would be why chemistry classes are required. Some of the greatest benefits will come from the labs you'll have to take. It's here where you'll learn why it's important to always use PPE (that's Personal Protective Equipment, for those of you not down with the lingo).

___ Physiology. That blank holds the place for whatever category of animal interests you the most. If you're a bird person, perhaps fluent in bird law, you can fill that blank in with "avian." If the fascinating world of cows strikes your fancy, you can study bovine physiology. This means that once you get out of the basic science courses, you'll already be specializing your education to fit your career.

___ Management. We've got another blank here, Shmoopers. After you've learned that pigs do, in fact, have hooves (and where they are), then you'll move on to the managing side of things. You'll learn how to raise them, breed them, teach them to talk, and…err…"harvest" them. Yeah, kind of gruesome, but it's a reality in this field of study. Just remember that the bacon you're adding to your double burger has to come from somewhere.

Monogastric/Ruminant Nutrition. If you spend a lot of time ruminating over what animals actually eat (aside from grass), this is where you can put that curiosity to rest. There are two types of classes here: monogastric animals, or ones that have a single stomach, and ruminant animals, which have complex four-chambered stomachs. This will help you understand why it isn't a great idea to feed last night's leftovers to your cows on a regular basis.