Animal-Assisted Therapy Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Animal-Assisted Therapy maps to BLS occupations averaging about $47,743, with roughly 448,600 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $10,104; common paths include Occupational Therapy Assistants and Occupational Therapy Aides.
Key Statistics
Animal-Assisted Therapy: what the data shows
Common questions about animal-assisted therapy degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a animal-assisted therapy degree?
A Animal-Assisted Therapy program is classified under NCES CIP 51.2313 in the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions field family (51.23).
A program that prepares health and human service professionals to integrate the use of animals into their treatment practices in order to facilitate change in people with mental and physical disabilities. Includes instruction in psychology, psychology of disabilities, animal behavior, animal training, the human-animal bond, integration of animals into therapeutic settings, and ethical and cultural issues
IPEDS counted 43 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of animal-assisted therapy degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 51.23 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Art Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2301)
- Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering (CIP 51.2312)
- Dance Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2302)
- Drama Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2315)
- Horticulture Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2316)
- Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist (CIP 51.2311)
- Music Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2305)
- Occupational Therapy (CIP 51.2306)
- Orthotist/Prosthetist (CIP 51.2307)
- Physical Therapy (CIP 51.2308)
- Play Therapy/Therapist (CIP 51.2317)
- Rehabilitation Science (CIP 51.2314)
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy (CIP 51.2309)
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor (CIP 51.2310)
How long does it take to get a animal-assisted therapy degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2313 in our file:
- 10 Associate (18.9% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 43 Bachelor's (81.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Occupational Therapy Assistants (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 51.2313, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a animal-assisted therapy degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Animal-Assisted Therapy to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Animal Breeders | 1,730 | $52,000 |
| Animal Caretakers | 277,300 | $33,470 |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 114,190 | $37,320 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a animal-assisted therapy degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions bachelor's program family: median debt $36,199, median earnings $55,792 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.05.
About 4.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,104 and median net price is $19,104.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Animal-Assisted Therapy and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,104 Median In-State Public
$40,370 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Animal-Assisted Therapy majors are, on average, $10,104 for in-state public colleges, and $40,370 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Animal-Assisted Therapy programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Animal-Assisted Therapy from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 4 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Animal-Assisted Therapy programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 2 | Grossmont College | CA | $1,332 |
| 3 | City College of San Francisco | CA | $1,696 |
| 4 | Isothermal Community College | NC | $2,030 |
| 5 | Isothermal Community College | NC | $2,030 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Animal-Assisted Therapy programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Petersburg College | FL | $1,471 |
| 2 | Middlesex College | NJ | $2,288 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $2,823 |
| 4 | Moraine Valley Community College | IL | $2,829 |
| 5 | CUNY Hunter College | NY | $2,984 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Animal-Assisted Therapy programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Animal-Assisted Therapy programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Animal-Assisted Therapy is in IL (19 completions). That state represents about 44.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is MT (0.15% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 19 | 44.2% | 0.01% |
| MT | 17 | 39.5% | 0.15% |
| OH | 4 | 9.3% | 0.00% |
| NY | 2 | 4.7% | 0.00% |
| PA | 1 | 2.3% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 51.23 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Art Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2301
- Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering CIP 51.2312
- Dance Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2302
- Drama Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2315
- Horticulture Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2316
- Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist CIP 51.2311
- Music Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2305
- Occupational Therapy CIP 51.2306
- Orthotist/Prosthetist CIP 51.2307
- Physical Therapy CIP 51.2308
- Play Therapy/Therapist CIP 51.2317
- Rehabilitation Science CIP 51.2314
- Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy CIP 51.2309
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor CIP 51.2310
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 51.2313 in the survey year used in our extract (53 total across levels below).
- 10 Associate (18.9% of IPEDS total)
- 43 Bachelor's (81.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $47,743. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Animal-Assisted Therapy graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | $83,755 | 47,910 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | $44,140 | 5,000 |
| Animal Scientists | — | 2,470 |
| Animal Breeders | $63,493 | 1,730 |
| Animal Caretakers | $41,456 | 277,300 |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | $47,822 | 114,190 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions CIP family (28 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Animal-Assisted Therapy graduate.
- $36,199 median federal loan debt among completers
- $55,792 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.05 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 4.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$47,743 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Animal-Assisted Therapy majors is $47,743.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Animal-Assisted Therapy majors.
Occupations by Share
448,600 2023 Workforce
The number of Animal-Assisted Therapy graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Animal-Assisted Therapy by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Animal-Assisted Therapy in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
Age distribution for Animal-Assisted Therapy degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
43 Total Degrees Awarded
5 Male (11.63%)
38 Female (88.37%)
Gender distribution of Animal-Assisted Therapy degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
33 White (76.74%)
6 Hispanic or Latino (13.95%)
2 Two or More Races (4.65%)
1 Asian (2.33%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Animal-Assisted Therapy degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Animal-Assisted Therapy are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Animal-Assisted Therapy field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Animal-Assisted Therapy majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Animal-Assisted Therapy majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Animal-Assisted Therapy majors.
About
A program that prepares health and human service professionals to integrate the use of animals into their treatment practices in order to facilitate change in people with mental and physical disabilities. Includes instruction in psychology, psychology of disabilities, animal behavior, animal training, the human-animal bond, integration of animals into therapeutic settings, and ethical and cultural issues
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Animal-Assisted Therapy.
CIP Code
51.2313 - Animal-Assisted Therapy
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $36,199 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $55,792, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.05. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Animal-Assisted Therapy graduate.
Women earned 89.2% of 93 Animal-Assisted Therapy completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $47,743. The largest mapped role by headcount is Occupational Therapy Assistants (47,910 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,104 in-state at public colleges and $40,370 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.