a young man crouches in a field 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

a woman puts a sample into a bombcalorimeter

Field Note

Jocelyn Nashtatik: Connecting environmental sustainability & animal science
by Jackie Swift Jocelyn Nashtatik ’28 is a sophomore in Animal Science with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. Currently she is an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Joseph McFadden , associate professor of dairy cattle biology. We...
  • Animal Science
  • Animals
  • Climate Change
A woman smiles, posing for a photo.

Field Note

Aspiring to bring science to farmers around the world: Meet Gabby Garcia
Hailing from Belize, Gabriela Garcia joined Cornell CALS’ Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) as an intern in January 2026 from Zamorano University , located in Honduras. This semester, she will be working alongside Carlos Irias on the...
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Field Crops
two men and a woman sit at a table talking with a schematic of farm and data on a view screen next to them

News

Building a farm data and analytics platform that keeps things private
by Jackie Swift Farms generate huge amounts of data. A dairy farm in the United States, for instance, will typically produce data that tracks herd health and breeding, and milk production and quality, for a start. If the farm also grows its own...
  • PRO-DAIRY
  • PRO-LIVESTOCK
  • Animal Science

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a woman in a lab coat looks at a beaker of liquid
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)