Animal Health Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Animal Health maps to BLS occupations averaging about $149,642, with roughly 3,455,310 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $10,234; common paths include Registered Nurses and Home Health Aides.
Key Statistics
Animal Health: what the data shows
Common questions about animal health degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a animal health degree?
A Animal Health program is classified under NCES CIP 01.0903 in the Animal Sciences field family (01.09).
A program that focuses on the application of biological and chemical principles to the study, prevention, and control of diseases in agricultural animal populations. Includes instruction in environmental science, pharmacology, animal population studies, genetics, animal physiology and diet, disease prevention, treatment methodologies, and laboratory and testing procedures
IPEDS counted 73 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of animal health degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 01.09 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Agricultural Animal Breeding (CIP 01.0902)
- Animal Nutrition (CIP 01.0904)
- Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901)
- Dairy Science (CIP 01.0905)
- Livestock Management (CIP 01.0906)
- Poultry Science (CIP 01.0907)
How long does it take to get a animal health degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 01.0903 in our file:
- 16 Associate (12.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 73 Bachelor's (57.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 32 Master's (25.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 7 Doctorate (5.5% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
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 Registered Nurses (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 01.0903, 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 health degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Animal Health 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 23,220 | $109,660 |
| Health Education Specialists | 65,150 | $63,000 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a animal health degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Animal Sciences bachelor's program family: median debt $30,349, median earnings $49,634 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.89.
About 3.9% 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 $10,234 and median net price is $16,778.
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 Health and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,234 Median In-State Public
$31,870 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Animal Health majors are, on average, $10,234 for in-state public colleges, and $31,870 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Animal Health programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Animal Health from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Animal Health.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Animal Health programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $1,394 |
| 2 | New Mexico Junior College | NM | $1,440 |
| 3 | New Mexico Junior College | NM | $1,440 |
| 4 | Mesalands Community College | NM | $2,136 |
| 5 | Cochise County Community College District | AZ | $2,280 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Animal Health programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | James Sprunt Community College | NC | $1,863 |
| 3 | James Sprunt Community College | NC | $1,863 |
| 4 | Wayne Community College | NC | $2,245 |
| 5 | Hinds Community College | MS | $4,060 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Animal Health programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Animal Health 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 Health is in KY (71 completions). That state represents about 97.3% 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 KY (0.14% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| KY | 71 | 97.3% | 0.14% |
| GA | 2 | 2.7% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 01.09 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Agricultural Animal Breeding CIP 01.0902
- Animal Nutrition CIP 01.0904
- Animal Sciences, General CIP 01.0901
- Dairy Science CIP 01.0905
- Livestock Management CIP 01.0906
- Poultry Science CIP 01.0907
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 01.0903 in the survey year used in our extract (128 total across levels below).
- 16 Associate (12.5% of IPEDS total)
- 73 Bachelor's (57.0% of IPEDS total)
- 32 Master's (25.0% of IPEDS total)
- 7 Doctorate (5.5% 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 $149,642. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Animal Health graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | $152,361 | 3,282,010 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $127,278 | 23,220 |
| Health Education Specialists | $71,851 | 65,150 |
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 Animal Sciences CIP family (47 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Animal Health graduate.
- $30,349 median federal loan debt among completers
- $49,634 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.89 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.9% 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
$149,642 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Animal Health majors is $149,642.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Animal Health majors.
Occupations by Share
3,455,310 2023 Workforce
The number of Animal Health graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Animal Health by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Animal Health 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 Health.
Age distribution for Animal Health degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
73 Total Degrees Awarded
2 Male (2.74%)
71 Female (97.26%)
Gender distribution of Animal Health degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
65 White (89.04%)
3 Hispanic or Latino (4.11%)
1 Two or More Races (1.37%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Animal Health degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Animal Health are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Animal Health.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Animal Health field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Animal Health majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Animal Health 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 Health majors.
About
A program that focuses on the application of biological and chemical principles to the study, prevention, and control of diseases in agricultural animal populations. Includes instruction in environmental science, pharmacology, animal population studies, genetics, animal physiology and diet, disease prevention, treatment methodologies, and laboratory and testing procedures
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Animal Health.
CIP Code
01.0903 - Animal Health
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $30,349 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $49,634, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Animal Health graduate.
Women earned 87.6% of 137 Animal Health completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $149,642. The largest mapped role by headcount is Registered Nurses (3,282,010 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,234 in-state at public colleges and $31,870 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.