How to Become an Animal Science Technician - Certification and Training

You don’t need to spend four to eight years or more in school so you can work with animals. Instead, you might want to consider a trade program that gives you practical information you’ll be able to use almost immediately.

You’ll learn how to interact with others who are either in or planning to enter animal science. You’ll learn how to think critically. You’ll be able to work on coursework that will keep you interested. In the classroom, you’ll be interacting with your instructor and fellow students and working on in-depth research and analysis of animal science issues.

What kinds of careers can you move into? You might consider becoming a zookeeper, animal scientist, or even a breeding technician. You could work as a livestock auctioneer or manager, become a farmer and work with animals on someone’s farm or your own farm with a focus on agricultural science, or you might wish to become an educator in the field.

Or, if you have plans to go to college for a few more years, becoming an animal geneticist may be a good option. If you decide to really devote some time to your education, you could still go on to become a veterinarian.

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What Do Workers in Animal Science Do?

After completing your trade or training program, a variety of career options await, depending on your interests. You could pursue a career in science and technology, working in areas such as nutrition, health, disease control, animal behavior, research, genetics, animal breeding, or other specialized fields.

If you’re interested in veterinary medicine, an animal sciences degree can lead to a career as a veterinary technician, which requires less time than becoming a veterinarian. With experience, your options expand, including working with large or small animals, in public health, food safety, research, inspections, or preventive medicine.

If you go into food safety, research, public health, or inspections, you could find work with local, state, or federal government agencies. These include the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Where Do Graduates Work?

Conservation Officer:

In this position, you’ll work out in the wild to protect animals. By doing this, you also protect the environment as the two are inextricably linked. As a conservation officer, you’ll help to protect and improve areas that are environmentally important, which allows animals large and small to thrive.

Food Industry:

Choosing to work in the food industry may mean earning secondary degrees after you complete your degree in animal sciences, but that all depends on your interest in moving up in the field. You may help identify and research animal health in this area and make sure that farms are run with public health in mind. This work helps to improve the health and wellness of consumers and ensure compliance with local and federal rules. With your animal sciences background, you’ll be able to offer more value in this field.

Veterinary Technician:

Here, you’ll earn a degree that will allow you to assist full veterinarians. You may take courses that focus on animal anatomy, physiology, biology, zoology, chemistry, or microbiology. The human parents of pets you see will be grateful for your expertise when the time comes for them to visit the vet.

Educational Requirements

In high school, it’s important to take and grasp chemistry, biology, and physics, especially if you plan to pursue a graduate degree. Performing well in these subjects will help you succeed in higher-level courses in trade or training programs, and instructors will appreciate your advanced understanding of these sciences.

Vocational training may also help you to determine just what kind of work you want to do with animals. By completing this level of education, you’ll develop your knowledge of the various fields available and may even get a chance to intern in whichever field you think holds the most interest for you. Maybe you’ll have the chance to work at a farm and decide that this is the career you’ve always wanted, or perhaps you’ll decide that, while you like farm animals, it may really be worth it to complete a higher level of education and become a farm vet.

How to Become an Animal Services Worker

Becoming a dental hygienist requires completing specific educational programs, obtaining necessary licenses, and possibly pursuing advanced degrees. The process involves rigorous training and examinations to ensure competency in oral healthcare.

GED or High School Diploma

If you know early on that you’re interested in working with animals, you’ll want to fill your high school class schedule as much as possible with sciences, math classes, computer science, English, environmental earth science, calculus, trigonometry, and statistics. If you plan to keep going to school beyond your animal science trade school, this will help you to get into universities more easily.

Depending on where you are hoping to earn your trade or vocational education, you may only need a high school diploma or GED to attend. However, some schools are slightly more exclusive and require that you have maintained a certain GPA in high school or that you take and pass the ACT or SAT standardized tests. These programs will have their own requirements in terms of what constitutes a passing score, so you should find 1-3 programs you are interested in attending and find their requirements as soon as possible.

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Quick Facts: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
2023 Median Pay ?The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. In May 2023, the median annual wage for all workers was $48,060.	$70,600 per year $33.94 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education ?Typical level of education that most workers need to enter this occupation.	Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation ?Work experience that is commonly considered necessary by employers, or is a commonly accepted substitute for more formal types of training or education.	None
On-the-job Training ?Additional training needed (postemployment) to attain competency in the skills needed in this occupation.	None
Number of Jobs, 2023 ?The employment, or size, of this occupation in 2023, which is the base year of the 2023-33 employment projections.	18,800
Job Outlook, 2023-33 ?The projected percent change in employment from 2023 to 2033. The average growth rate for all occupations is 4 percent.	4% (As fast as average)
Employment Change, 2023-33 ?The projected numeric change in employment from 2023 to 2033.	800

Animal Science Training and Other Certification

Zoo & Aquarium Science:

If you plan to become an aquarist or zookeeper, this certificate will fit perfectly into your career plans. You’ll be able to begin working with primates, marine mammals, carnivores, and other exotic wildlife.

Animal Care, Equine, and Land Based:

By opting for a course that covers animal care, equine, and land-based industries, you’ll be able to apply for hundreds of opportunities. You may plan to work as a park ranger or in a veterinary practice in the country.

Equine Science:

These professional development programs offer you both instruction and practical experience in nutrition, management, physiology, and care of horses.

Animal Assisted Therapy:

Earning this certificate means you’ll be able to share your love of animals with others and show them how the relationships between humans and animals can enrich their lives. It can also help those who need interactions with animals who won’t judge. This certificate teaches you about animal-assisted therapy, education, and activities.

HNC Animal Management:

This Higher National Certificate gives you a good basis for working with animals. You’ll be prepared for employment in a supervisory-level position if you earn this along with your animal sciences degree.

Animal Science Fundamentals:

In this type of certificate program, you’ll learn basic knowledge in the fundamentals of animal science. This may allow you to obtain entry-level employment in agricultural sales and services, on ranges, and on farms. This is one of the first steps toward a career as an educator in agricultural science as well.

Animal Care & Management:

Earning this certificate means you’ll be able to enter a career path in the veterinary care of domesticated animals (pets). You’ll spend time interning at veterinary clinics or animal hospitals. Part of your internship prepares you to work in a vet clinic, using and caring for the instruments, learning how to sterilize them, and how to analyze both blood and urine samples.

Continuing Education for Animal Science Graduates

If you plan to become an animal behaviorist or veterinarian, you’ll need to pursue a four-year degree and possibly higher degrees (master’s or doctorate in veterinary medicine). A good option is to earn a bachelor’s degree focusing on domestic animals like cats, dogs, and farm animals such as cows, pigs, and sheep. This also includes draft animals like horses and donkeys, though camels are rare in the U.S. unless you work at a petting zoo.

You may also consider earning a certificate in applied animal behavior. This program helps you to learn and understand the behaviors that some animals display so you can care for them and help to improve their quality of life and even their health. Consider cats – we know they hide when they are hurt or feeling sick. This is an instinctive behavior that helps them to protect themselves from predators and may help you explain to a worried pet owner why they might be acting strange and what they can do to help their pet.