a young man crouches on the grass with two dogs

Animal Science

Advancing understanding of animal biology and addressing the animal industries' most pressing problems.

Welcome to the Department of Animal Science

The Department of Animal Science offers undergraduate and graduate programs on the biology and management of food, laboratory and companion animal species. Our research programs advance our understanding of animal biology and address local and global issues facing animal industries today. Our goals are to discover and develop new techniques and information to benefit animals, agriculture and human health. Our internationally recognized faculty have diverse interests in animal management, breeding, genetics, physiology, nutrition, growth biology and microbiology.

Major in Animal Science

Animal science majors learn from internationally recognized professors in all aspects of domestic animal biology: breeding, genetics, nutrition, physiology, growth, behavior and management.

Animal Science Major

Learn more about what an animal science major can do for you.

Undergraduate Studies

International Opportunities

Check out the international opportunities available with the animal science major.

Learn more about undergraduate opportunities

Graduate Studies

Approximately 40 graduate students from a variety of disciplines belong to the Department of Animal Science, most of them in the field of animal science.

Graduate field of animal science

Undergraduate research

Discovering new genes

Cameron Xu ’26 is using biometry and statistics to help Cornell CALS animal science professor Vimal Selvaraj identify new genes. Together, they’re investigating how steroid hormones regulate the body’s processes, uncovering new knowledge that could advance cancer research and solve other human health challenges.

Explore synthetic biology at CALS
Play CALS Undergraduate Research Experience: Cameron Xu '26

News

a man looks at data on two computer screens

Field Note

Puchun Niu: Creating a data pipeline for dairy cattle research
Puchun Niu is a visiting postdoctoral associate in the lab of Miel Hostens , the Robert and Anne Everett associate professor of digital dairy management and data analytics at Cornell University. Puchun's work focuses on collecting experimental...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
  • Digital Agriculture
Man stands next to manure mesocosm

Field Note

Manure mesocosms
Manure mesocosms were designed to replicate natural manure storage conditions, allowing researchers to understand the behavior of manure during its storage, after being collected from barns, and before applying it to crop fields. This system...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
alumni panel at table

News

Experiential learning, STEM curriculum prepare Ag Sci majors for success
First-year Agricultural Sciences majors capped off their first semester at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at last month’s annual alumni gathering. The gathering helps build community among Agricultural Sciences alumni...
  • Agriculture Sciences Major
  • Animal Science
  • School of Integrative Plant Science

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a woman holds a jar of chemicals in a lab
Diana Reyes Gomez prepares samples of SeaGraze, a product developed by Symbrosia based on the seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis, for a shelf stability trial. Photo provided.

Contact us for more information

Thank you for your interest in Animal Science at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 
Reach out through the information below, or find a more direct point of contact for your inquiries.

149 Morrison Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-4801
Phone: (607) 255-2862
Fax: (607) 255-9829
E-mail: anscinfo [at] cornell.edu (anscinfo[at]cornell[dot]edu)