Animal Scientists

Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Writing
Science
Critical Thinking
Complex Problem Solving
Judgment and Decision Making
Active Listening
Speaking

Key knowledge

Biology
Mathematics
English Language
Chemistry
Food Production
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service
Computers and Electronics

What the work involves

Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Realistic, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Doctoral Degree (43.5% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (30.4%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (26.1%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Animal Scientists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 63% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 55% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Lower on teamwork than 58% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 73% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 67% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 63% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 73% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Lower on consequence of error than 50% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: low
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions