BS in Animal Science

Students in the BS in Animal Science at Michigan State University gain practical experience by working with animals, applying production and management principles, and engaging with teaching, research, and outreach facilities. The program benefits from MSU’s South Campus Animal Farms, specialized livestock teaching and research centers, and research laboratories where students can connect classroom learning with real animal agriculture practices. Students can also gain hands-on industry experience through paid student employment, internships, study abroad, and field trips offered through the Department of Animal Science.

Students can build this practical experience through:

• South Campus Animal Farms: Students can access livestock facilities supporting teaching, research, and outreach, including dairy, beef, swine, sheep, and other animal-focused operations.
• Dairy Teaching and Research Center: Students can gain practical exposure to dairy cattle management, animal care, milking, equipment use, and herd operations; MSU also employs students at the dairy farm for hands-on training alongside farm professionals.
• Hands-on farm employment: Students can work directly with animals through roles involving stockmanship, calf feeding and care, cow care, milking, and equipment use and maintenance, with training provided by MSU Dairy Farm staff.
• Internships: The Department of Animal Science reports that students participate in paid internships, providing opportunities to gain professional experience alongside their academic studies.
• Study abroad and field trips: Animal Science students have opportunities for study abroad programs and field trips, extending practical learning beyond the campus environment.
• Research laboratories: Animal Science faculty conduct research in facilities including the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building (ISTB), which houses laboratories connected to the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program.
• Dairy research and technology: MSU’s dairy facilities are designed to expose students to technology and data used in modern animal agriculture, alongside research into animal behavior, welfare, and dairy production.
• Animal welfare and research facilities: MSU’s animal facilities operate within established animal-care, welfare, research, and teaching protocols, with oversight through the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
• Industry-connected learning: MSU works with agricultural businesses and producers through AgBioResearch, CANR, and MSU Extension, including collaboration with farms and organizations such as Great Lakes Sire Service and Preston Farms. 

The BS in Animal Science at Michigan State University prepares students for careers spanning animal production, agribusiness, research, animal health, marketing, and animal-related services. Its combination of strong science preparation and practical animal experience gives graduates flexibility to enter industry or continue into professional and graduate education.

Typical job roles: Animal Producer/Manager, Animal Feed and Health Industry Representative, Researcher, Educator

• Career support: Students can use MSU Career Services and CANR career resources for career exploration, employer connections, internships, job opportunities, and professional development. The Animal Science department also provides access to animal science job postings and internship experiences that can build industry connections.
• Employment opportunities: Graduates have entered roles with organizations including ASPCA, Charles River Laboratories, PetSmart, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Horning Farms, and Cahill Veterinary Hospital, demonstrating the range of employers connected with the degree.
• Employment statistics and salary: MSU's official Animal Science pages do not state a program-specific employment rate or graduate salary figure, so a specific percentage or salary should not be assumed.
• Industry partnerships: The Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture (M-AAA) brings together MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, AgBioResearch, MSU Extension, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and animal-industry organizations including Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Cattlemen's Association, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Michigan Pork Producers, Michigan Sheep Breeders Association, and Michigan Meat Association.
• Industry-connected facilities: Students benefit from MSU's South Campus Animal Farms, which support teaching, research, and outreach, while the university's new Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center provides access to modern dairy technologies including automatic milking robots and advanced feed systems.
• Graduation outcomes: The degree can lead to careers in research, extension, agribusiness, finance, marketing, public relations, event and association management, farm ownership, animal production, food processing, and animal health, while also preparing students for veterinary medicine and graduate study.
• Accreditation value: Michigan State University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), with its most recent reaffirmation in 2024–25 and the next reaffirmation scheduled for 2034–35. This provides long-term institutional recognition of the university's academic quality and supports the credibility of its degrees.

Further Academic Progression: After the BS, students can progress to MSU's Animal Science MS, which offers thesis and non-thesis options and allows deeper study in areas connected to animal agriculture. Students interested in advanced research can continue to the Animal Science PhD, while those pursuing veterinary careers can apply their animal-science background toward veterinary medicine; MSU also offers DVM pathways that can be combined with MS or PhD study.