<p>Looking for schools in West or Mid West with Animal Science major.
Already on list- Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Davis</p>
<p>For California there is also California State University Fresno.</p>
<p>Colorado State (top vet school in the country, big equine program) and Montana State (beautiful place, great for skiers and outdoorsy kids.) Also U. Wyoming (very inexpensive but small-town and endless wind, also no equine).</p>
<p>This is a major that typically will be offered only at land-grant state universities with a college of agriculture. Most of these will be fairly good in this field, and I don’t think there’s a great deal of difference between them at the undergrad level, so choose on the basis of which university is the best fit (location, cost, selectivity, etc.), not in terms of a particular department. In the Midwest/Plains: Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Iowa State, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota State, Oklahoma State, and, South Dakota State. In the West/SW: Arizona, Oregon State, Washington State, Utah State, Colorado State, Texas A & M, Montana State, Wyoming, Idaho, and New Mexico State. Of course, UC-Davis may be the best in the West. Some schools in the Midwest may split the field into separate departments for Animal Science and Dairy Science.</p>
<p>Agree with the post above except the departments do differ in flavor, largely as a consequence of the fact that faculties are small (so strengths and course offerings are different), and “mission” is influenced by local economy. Thus Mountain state schools have ranching as an emphasis, other places may have more farming (U. Delaware - the Blue Hens - has acres of chickens). Pre-vet can be done anywhere (like pre-med) but places with attached vet schools may have advantages, such as research and hands-on animal experience (crucial for pre-vet).</p>
<p>Agree with all posters that you have to look at the big state schools, however there does NOT need to be an associated vet school to make it a good program. (The lack of a vet school can be a plus as the undergrads will get more research opportunities). </p>
<p>Each school has a particular specialty or focus, so you need to look into what aspect of animal science your kid is interested in. When you go on campus tours, make sure you check out the barns - there are big differences and you will get a feel of the focus. Given animal science is a very specialized major, I would recommend reaching out to a faculty member ahead of time for a barn tour. During the barn tour, talk to the students that are there to find out what their career goals are and what classes they are taking.</p>
<p>Very good point about the barn tours, they are a must - they can help you glean the program emphasis (e.g., equine at CSU, cows at UVM, chickens at Delaware). That is also where we realized U. Wyoming did not even have an equine program - they feel they can’t compete with nearby (by Western standards) CSU.</p>
<p>I do have to dispute the long-standing misconception that schools with large graduate programs have less opportunities for undergrad research. As a med school faculty member, I can assure you that grad students and undergrads do different things in the lab, and they do not compete for positions. As such, the more faculty, the more opportunities.</p>
<p>My daughter is going to Rutgers for pre-vet/animal/equine science next year. She spoke with one of the equine faculty, toured one of the 2 horse barns & realized it was the right place for her. She went to Cornell for their 3 week summer animal science program and realized that while it’s a great Ag school, the emphasis on cows was not what she wanted. Many of her friends and classmates are surprised by her choice, but she’s excited the application drama is done. Like all college tours, you need to find the right feel to the place and the barns are very important and left out of most standard tours.</p>
<p>I am asking on behalf of a friend of my D’s who is a HS soph. I don’t think she is interested in being a Vet but working in the equine field but not sure what area.</p>
<p>My own D doesn’t know what she wants to study. She is all over the map. Animal Science is one area she is exploring.</p>
<p>Otterbein University (Ohio) has an equine program, and it’s growing.</p>
<p>In California, Chico State is another possibility. I have also been impressed by Oregon State; it sounds like they are less adversely affected by state budget cuts than many other state colleges. I read that they have actually added 75 faculty positions. Also, they have an undergraduate advisor in the Animal Sciences department who really looks out for the students; she helps with course planning and academic issues and makes sure they graduate in four years.</p>
<p>My first thought was Iowa State and University of Missouri (Mizzou). They both offer great vet programs. </p>
<p>However, I just read that the original question was for a girl looking at equine programs. Columbia Missouri has an all girls school - Stephen’s College - with a wonderful equine program. The campus is beautiful and the barns, etc are right there.</p>
<p>I always encourage kids who want to major in Equine Science to think ahead to what sort of career they are preparing for. If they “just love horses” – would they be interested in working for a feed manufacturer, a racetrack, a breeding farm, a magazine? Jobs that feature hands-on work with horses are labor intensive, tend to be low paying, and not a lot of advancement. Jobs that offer riding are hard to come by, physically demanding, and unless you are the best of the best, low paying.</p>
<p>Not to discourage anyone … but think through what you are trying to accomplish. After all, the best way to make a small fortune in the horse business is to start with a large one.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I was an Animal Science major (dairy and equine), and a Pony Club A, worked as an instructor and barn manager – and now own a pet store. Definitely been there, done that, and have the tee shirt!</p>
<p>You are probably aware of the distinction between equine science and equestrian programs. The latter are generally smaller schools, for those interested in riding/training/barn management as a career, and often have some business focus. The former are truly science majors - D has to take chem, physics, stats, in addition to specialized classes. Pre-vet students take the same courses as pre-med (making for some tough competition); students not planning vet school can often opt for a somewhat easier classes (e.g., a general chem course vs. organic and inorganic).</p>
<p>Also, riding may not be part of equation in animal science programs (although some will allow you take a few credits in riding classes). My D did one semester in the school club program, but is not interested in competing, so now just takes a semi-private lesson once a week (which is actually less $ than the club team).</p>
<p>cnp55- I am not sure if the girl knows what she wants.I think she just turned 15 and it could very well be she just loves horses and riding. I figure I will give my D the list and it will be up to the girl and her family to do their research.
As for my own D she is doing her own exploring. She is exploring being a Vet but is realistic about the amount of work and the difficulty of getting into Vet school. She had a meeting with the Vet School, Vet Tech program and Animal Science department at a large state school. She hasn’t shared with me yet her feelings after the visit. Fantasy world would be to live in a rural area and breed and train horses. She is realistic enough to know that in order to do that you need to be independently wealthy which she isn’t.
She also has a couple of other unrelated areas she is also exploring.</p>
<p>The premier school in the country for equine is probably U of Kentucky because of the racing wealth.</p>
<p>UC Davis has a pretty active horse program:</p>
<p>[Center</a> for Equine Health UC Davis](<a href=“http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/default.cfm]Center”>http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/default.cfm)</p>
<p>I agree with the other posters who suggest she narrow down what she wants to do within the equine field. There are a lot of possibilities, many of which most people will never have thought of. As a soph in high school she still has plenty of time.</p>
<p>I was an Animal Science major (equine emphasis)at one of our state schools (UW-River Falls) a long time ago. I had a wonderful time and never once condsidered changing my major.</p>
<p>Since there is a broad geographic area the parents are considering it might be helpful for them to figure out the size and cost of the school they are comfortable with to narrow down the options. Even though it’s still early in her high school career they might also want to consider her overall grades and her chance of admission.</p>
<p>proundwismom-They live in Ca but I think one parent is from the Mid west. At least from outwardly appearances she would be full pay. I don’t think the D and her parents are on the same page. I think they are willing to buy her expensive horses and give her lessons but I have my doubts whether they would support a career in the field. All this with the disclaimer- I know the girl, I don’t know her parents.</p>
<p>I think you’re doing the best thing then mom60 by giving them a list of schools and they can go from there. </p>
<p>Below is a link for the American Society of Animal Science you may want to forward to them. It’s oriented for a grad student but does discuss career options with just a BS.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.asas.org/careers.asp[/url]”>http://www.asas.org/careers.asp</a></p>