Contact Information
Wondering whether a degree in Animal Science might be right for you? Contact our office to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5844
Email: AgOutreach@csuchico.edu
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Animal Science BS
Program Type Undergraduate Major
Delivery Type On Campus
If you love animals and are passionate about their relationship to the world around them, this is the program for you! Whether you want to work in the food or fiber industries, manage livestock, or pursue veterinary medicine, this science-based program will give you a comprehensive understanding of animal nutrition, reproduction, genetics, behavior, and growth.
Learn how to breed livestock in our cow and sheep units, care for animals at the University Farm, and study biotechnology and reproductive physiology and more. With the farm as your classroom and faculty mentors to partner with you in research, you’ll become an expert in large food animal production and management.
Animals from A-Z
Animal science is rooted in the science upon which the production of food animals depends. In addition to courses on nutrition, physiology, and reproduction, you’ll learn about business, plant production, animal welfare, movement, and the issues of the agriculture industry today.
Specializations and Options
Food Option Production
Learn how animals go from being born to food on the table. This general animal science option balances science with production operations to prepare you for entering careers in livestock, nutrition, and the pharmaceutical industry
Pre-Veterinary Science
A strong foundation for students who plan to apply to veterinary schools and professional programs, the courses in this option focus on advanced sciences and preparing you to meet the basic vet school requirements.
Pick Your Path
While many of our students go on to pre-veterinary programs, our graduates also find successful careers as teachers, USDA inspectors, animal facility caretakers, animal nutritionists, researchers, farmers, animal physical therapists, and more. Top employers include:
- School districts
- US Department of Agriculture
- California Certified Organic Farmers
- Bureau of Land Management
- US Forest Service
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As a TA, each semester I have been given more tasks and responsibility within the class to be able to contribute more to help the younger agriculture students
Ag Learning Experience
All About Animals
Whether you are living on site at the University Farm, supervising an animal unit, hosting educational events for K–12 students, or raising pigs and lambs for FFA projects, you’ll experience the dawn to dusk nature of agriculture and its role in feeding the world.
Manage Your Own Animals
Whether the beef unit or sheep unit, students are largely responsible for the day-to-day management of the animals at the University Farm. You’ll also collect performance data, oversee irrigation and pasture management, and transport animals for sale.
Learn from the Best
Our faculty are not just instrumental in the classroom—they are leaders in their field. They serve in roles on the American Society of Animal Science Board, the Western Regional Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the California Cattlemen's Association and our Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems.
AGtivate
New students get an immersive experience before the first day of school at this free one-day event. It’s free and it’s especially for new students to give you an insider look into all that awaits you during your time in the College of Agriculture.
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Pursue Your Passion
No matter the animal that interests you, there is a club or team for you. With more than 25 options to choose from, see livestock operations across the United States on the Livestock Judging Team or work in the on-campus Meats Lab and showcase your butchering skills on the Meat Judging Team.
Nose to Tail Studies
University Farm
The 800-acre Paul L. Byrne Memorial University Farm is the centerpiece of the Chico State ag program, and it’s a key part of your educational experience. Working directly with farms and ranchers, it’s perhaps the most diversified operation in Northern California.
Beef, Sheep, and Swine Units
Manage our herds of Red Angus cows and Yorkshire sows and flocks of crossbred wether dams and Southdown ewes as you learn the latest techniques in breeding, pasture management and other technology. Learn the economics behind a successful farm operation.
Organic Dairy Unit
Nearly 20 years ago, we became the first university-based organic dairy program in the Western United States. The program supports 80 Jersey-X cows and is led by the student-run Dairy Management Team, which immerses you in every aspect of organic dairy production.
Meats Lab
Students learn to harvest, process, and sell meat under the supervision of the USDA and a staff technician. We produce cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, as well as sausage, cured meats, and beef jerky. Products are sold at the farm, wholesale, and to local restaurants, and served in campus dining.
Related Programs
Contact Information
Wondering whether a degree in Animal Science might be right for you? Contact our office to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5844
Email: AgOutreach@csuchico.edu