Animal scientists are essential in managing and improving the production of animals like cattle, chickens, sheep, goats and pigs, ensuring these animals are healthy and productive.
In the Animal Science major, you'll develop strategies to improve the wellbeing of animals and make farms more efficient. You'll study:
- nutrition and reproduction of both grazing animals and intensively housed animals
- animal health
- animal behaviour
- microbiology
- anatomy and physiology
- biochemistry and pasture science.
Join industry visits and field trips to local livestock producers throughout your degree, and gain in-demand practical skills and industry connections. Participate in regular hands-on practicals where you’ll learn to handle and monitor animals.
Take advantage of a 120-hour industry placement where you apply theory to practice, or enhance your research skills with the Summer and Winter Research Programs.
You’ll have access to some of the best animal teaching and research facilities in the Southern Hemisphere, such as the Queensland Animal Science Precinct, the UQ Veterinary Medical Centre and the Gatton Research Dairy.
Career possibilities
Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Animal technician
- Animal management officer
- Biosecurity field officer
- Animal health officer
- Livestock adviser or consultant
- Policy adviser
- Extension and inspection officer
- Biosecurity field officer
- Animal nutrition and health specialist
- Animal research scientist
Average annual salary range
Biosecurity Officer
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Average annual salary range
Research Associate
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Next steps after graduation
Your scientific expertise and knowledge of agribusiness managerial principles will place you in high demand within the Australian and international agriculture sectors.
You can expect to find employment in:
- government departments and agencies
- research institutions, including universities and CSIRO
- banks, financial institutions, and investment and insurance companies
- agribusinesses, such as agricultural service companies, seed companies, food producers and agricultural consultancies
- biosecurity, extension and animal production enterprises
- organisations involved in production, post-harvest and marketing of horticultural products
- commodity trade, sales and marketing companies
- export marketing and management companies
- feed mills, stock equipment manufacturers, and livestock and poultry health companies within allied industries
- property management companies
- supply chain management organisations
- tourism bodies.
We're constantly applying concepts through fieldwork, laboratory classes, research activities and industry engagement. The lecturers are leading researchers who bring real-world experience into the classroom. We learn in the same environment where research and production actually occur, making the degree highly applied, relevant and industry-focused.
Studying both business and science gives me flexibility and opens the doors for job opportunities once I graduate.
We're constantly applying concepts through fieldwork, laboratory classes, research activities and industry engagement. The lecturers are leading researchers who bring real-world experience into the classroom. We learn in the same environment where research and production actually occur, making the degree highly applied, relevant and industry-focused.
Studying both business and science gives me flexibility and opens the doors for job opportunities once I graduate.
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Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Research experience
- Laboratory work
- Fieldwork
- Seminars
- Workshops
What you'll study
At UQ, subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study:
- Animal Behaviour, Handling & Wellbeing [Core course]
- Animal Nutrition & Technology [Core course]
- Ruminant Production Systems [Core course]
- Monogastric Production Systems [Core course]
- Animal Health and Epidemiology [Elective]
- Animal Breeding & Genetics [Elective]
- Animal Reproduction [Elective]
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