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 woman holds chopped straw in her hand while a man watches

News

Straw, sorghum & oil seed cakes: Building a bovine feed library for India
India produces a whopping 25% of all global milk production. The country also has the largest population of bovines in the world— 303.76 million, including cattle, buffalo, mithun and yaks. That is especially significant when global warming is...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Animal Science
  • Climate Change
Man in a neon work vest smiling at the camera holding equipment in a field.

Field Note

Striving for sustainable crop production: SuMAS intern Francisco Lopez
First generation Puerto Rican Francisco J. López Núñez attends the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. He was selected for the Sustainable Management of Agricultural Systems (SuMAS) internship program, which connected him with the Cornell...
  • Field Crops
  • Soil
Yu Jiang operates a research drone with a graduate student.

News

Harnessing AI for ag research: CALS seed grants support Roadmap to 2050
CALS’ Research and Innovation Office is offering $10,000-$50,000 awards to support proposal development, patent or technology development, commercialization or community uses of AI.
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station

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)