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Animal Science

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

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

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Field Note

Karolyn Auer ‘25 helps define on-farm biodiversity, aids sustainable dairy
Hailing from Massachusetts, Karolyn Auer is a Cornell CALS senior studying animal science who is about to graduate this May. She conducted substantial research on dairy sustainability during her time at Cornell University. We sat down with Auer...
  • Animal Science
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
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Field Note

Alex Benoit: Investigating cow metabolism to enhance dairy sustainability
by Caroline Stamm '24 Rising global demand for milk places greater pressure on dairy farmers and the land, water and feed they depend on. Feed production and cow digestion significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, but optimizing cow...
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Biology
a man looks at data on a computer in a cow barn

News

Bringing the Farm of the Future to life
Research and development of new agricultural technology takes time. Prototypes of devices such as biosensors for tracking livestock health and soil moisture sensors for crop fields require multiple iterations of testing, validation and redesign...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture

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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)