a young man crouches on the grass with two dogs

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

headshot of keith ou

Field Note

Keith Ou: Bridging animal agriculture and human nutrition
Global food producers face increasing pressure to meet sustainability and nutritional demands. As a result, farmers need practical solutions to produce more food while minimizing environmental impact and ensuring both animal and human health...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Food
anaerobic digester with pallets in front

Field Note

Biomethane potential in New York State
Biomethane from New York’s dairy manure and food waste could fuel over 30,000 tractor trailers annually, displacing at least 300 million gallons of diesel. * 12 percent of the NY dairy herd has implemented manure anaerobic digestion (AD) to...
  • Cornell Dairy
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • Animals
A man smiles while holding a LICOR greenhouse gas sampling system in a field.

Field Note

Erick Amaya: Building a career in sustainable soils from the ground up
From humble beginnings, Erick Amaya’s passion for learning carried him through his undergraduate career to a position with Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) — first as an intern, then as a research technician. While a part of...
  • Agriculture
  • Field Crops
  • Climate Change

Sign up for our newsletter

Get The Feed, Cornell Animal Science Department's monthly newsletter. Full of the latest news, events, and comings and goings, The Feed is your portal to all things animal science.

Sign up now!
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)