student cuddles with lambs

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

News

a woman and a dog touch faces

Field Note

Heather Huson explores the genetics of working dogs
Heather Huson’s path to animal genetics happened by chance. Growing up racing sled dogs, she hoped to tie her interests in the sport into becoming a veterinarian. Her path was altered when she happened to land a job at a genetics lab at the...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
people stand in corn field

Field Note

Into the wild: Helen Solecki’s journey from zoo to dairy research
Helen Solecki recently joined the team at the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) as a research technician, working with Quirine Ketterings . Prior to coming to Cornell, Solecki graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Dairy
a ewe and lamb lie in the grass

Field Note

Read between the lines: exploring scientific literature in animal welfare
Have you ever wondered how caretakers enrich the lives of lizards in zoos? Or how improving sow welfare benefits the lives of growing piglets? Or what play can tell us about a puppy’s well-being? In the spring semester one-credit course Animal...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals

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