Animal Scientists
Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.
- Median annual earnings
- $70,028
- Projected change
- +5.1%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 3.92K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
56.5% of the workforce
Growing to 4.12K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
The work
What animal scientists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
- Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $43,865
- 25th percentile
- $49,865
- 50th percentile
- $70,028
- 75th percentile
- $105,135
- 90th percentile
- $166,346
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $70,028 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
199 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 56.5%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 21.7%
- Bachelor's degree
- 13%
- Certificate
- 4.4%
- Associate degree
- 4.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Bacteriologists12 postings
- 02Animal Research Technicians1 postings
- 03Flow Cytometry Technologists1 postings
Top employers
- 01City Of Chesapeake2 postings
- 02City Of Dayton Ohio2 postings
- 03University of Massachusetts2 postings
- 04Careers Integrated Resources1 postings
- 05City Of Dayton1 postings
- 06City of Toledo1 postings
- 07Lakeside Foods1 postings
- 08State of Massachusetts1 postings
- 09University of Massachusetts-Amherst1 postings
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