Best 14 Animal Behavior Degree in 2024

A public institution for higher learning, Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship campus for the Indiana University system.  The program for Animal Behavior is offered through the College of Arts and Sciences.  The degree in an interdisciplinary program that studies human and non-human behavior as well as relationships with their environment, ecology, evolution, and physiology.  Students will participate in both traditional coursework and workshops where they gain hands-on experience with expert faculty within the field.  Internships are also available for added experience and opportunities to learn skills and hands-on experience.

A private institution for higher learning, Drake University offers many undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and degrees.  If working with animals and helping in conservation efforts is a life long dream then the degree in Animal Behavior will lead you to a rewarding career.  Students in this degree will study the science behind animal behavior.  Courses include ecology, neuroscience, evolution, psychology and more.  Students will engage in experiential learning with a wide range of species in the laboratories on campus as well as with the Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo.  With domestic and wild animals, students will have opportunities to work alongside expert faculty in studying and advocating for these animals.

A private liberal arts college, Bucknell University is home to a unique hands-on animal behavior degree. Students gain functional knowledge of the causes and consequences of the behavior of animals, skills to critically evaluate scientific inquiries, and an appreciation of the evolutionary, ecological and physiological mechanisms of animal behavior. In this interdisciplinary degree, students will take introductory, research methods, and capstone courses in animal behavior, along with courses in biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and psychology. Bucknell is home to four species of primates as well as bees, bats, birds, amphibians, rodents and other species that students will research, observe, and interact with throughout their degree program. Class size is targeted at 8 to 12 majors per year to allow direct mentoring and hands on research experiences with expert faculty.

A private liberal arts college, Franklin and Marshall College is a small institution that provides a unique and experiential learning method for students of the animal behavior degree.  Students will learn in a state of the art laboratory, in the field, at the zoo, and across the world.  The hallmark of this degree program is the hands-on experience undergraduate students receive while working alongside expert faculty that are active researchers.  Students learn not only in the classroom but also in the field with living species.   Students will collaborate with other students and faculty as they perform their own research.

Hampshire College was established in 1970 as an institution that was open to alternative education models.  Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college that offers a variety of degree programs including a Bachelor’s in Animal Behavior and Cognition.  Students of this program will learn and study the cognition of animals, animal communication and evolution.  Students will have opportunities to gain hands-on experience through the Hampshire Farm Center.  Graduates will complete a student project in which they study and research interactions of various natural organisms.  Such projects have included the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone and Frog Malformations and possible causes to name a couple.

A public institution for higher learning, Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.  Millersville offers a Bachelor’s degree with a focus in animal behavior.  In this program students will take the same core biology courses as all biology majors as well as courses in animal behavior, neurobiology, courses focusing on one animal group, and electives of student choice.  In addition coursework students of this program are expected to gain hands-on practical experience.  This experience can come in the form of internships, vet tech positions, working in animal shelters, zoos, or aquariums.

Photo taken in South Africa, at the top of Mount Lajuma.

Canisius College is a private Jesuit College that was founded in 1870 and has grown to provide over 100 degree programs for students of all faiths.  For those seeking an exciting career in animal behavior will find a rigorous program that blends behavioral biology with animal welfare and wildlife conservation.  The program provides a strong scientific knowledge blended with hands-on learning opportunities in labs and field experiences.  Another strength of this program is the ethical and legal considerations students learn.  Participants will have opportunities for internships and research activities with faculty.

What makes Canisius stand out is that they are a whole department (not a major within a department, or a concentration within a major), making them unique. The majority of their students complete at least one internship, they have strong local connections at the zoo, aquarium, SPCA, and many other facilities, and in a normal year, they offer multiple travel opportunities to broaden and expand experiential learning. They regularly take students to Africa (South Africa or Kenya), Belize, and Costa Rica and anticipate bringing on at least one additional trip in the coming year.

Eckerd College is a private liveral arts institution for higher learning and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  The degree of Animal studies at Eckerd College is of an interdisciplinary model that takes students through courses of the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and communications.  Students will study the relationships between humans and animals through history and the consequences of said relationships.  Students will study beyond the classroom in various labs associated with the Animal Studies Research Collaborative which has partnerships with various zoos and aquariums.  The Eckerd Dog Cognition Lab is on campus and allows students to have direct opportunities for research.

Carroll University is a private liberal arts college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  Carroll University is home to a comprehensive Animal Behavior degree program that is an ideal fit for students that are seeking to work with animals at any level in their career.  Students will build their knowledge based on a scientific foundation as they study how the brain and nervous system work together to how animals learn new behavior.  Participants will learn both in the classroom and at the Greene Field Station and Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center.  Students will also be given opportunities for hands-on learning at the Humane Animal Welfare Society.

UTICA College is a private institution for higher learning in New York.  Within the Biology department students can earn a bachelor’s degree in Animal Behavior.  Within this research focused program students will work with faculty as they utilize experimental methods to understand ecological, evolutionary, and physiological basis of behavior.  With partnerships with the utica zoo, students take their knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the field as they have opportunities to perform research, animal care, and husbandry at the zoo under the direction of faculty and staff.   As students complete the program they can participate in a capstone project, research or seminar.

A private liberal arts college, Unity College offers education based on sustainability science.  For those that are seeking a career working with animals, the Bachelor’s degree in Animal Health and Behavior at Unity College will prepare students to learn how to provide hands-on care for wild, rescued, and domestic animals.  Graduates are able to use the knowledge and skills they gain being employed at vet techs, working at zoos or aquariums, and animal rehabilitation.  Students have one-on-one advising, multiple start dates, and the option to complete coursework entirely online.  This particular degree program is offered in an online format that provides opportunities for students to collaborate with their peers within the program.

A private research institution, Florida Institute of Technology is home to four academic colleges.  Students seeking an education that prepares them to work with and understand animal behavior will take the course of a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Animal Behavior and Training. This interdisciplinary degree allows students to gain knowledge of psychology, biology and behavior analysis in tandem. The culmination of the program is an internship within a facility or institution with animal training, rehabilitation, or husbandry.  Along with completing an internship many students choose complete preinsternships with the Brevard Zoo.

A private liberal arts college, Muskingum University was established in 1837 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  At Muskingum University students that study Animal Studies will discover a multidisciplinary degree program that takes students through courses in biology, psychology, communication, and more.  Students of this program are prepared for careers in organismal biology, animal behavior and conservation.  This program has a strong emphasis on career development.  Students will also participate in courses of management and finance to help them be better prepared for various careers within animal studies such as vet tech, rehabilitation, and more.

A private institution, the University of New England operates three campuses as well as a wide array of online degree programs.  For anyone that has dreamed of working with animals, wild and domestic will find a fabulous interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Animal Behavior program at UNE.  Students will have a degree that is at the crossroads of biology, environmental science, marine science, psychology, and neuroscience.  Students will learn directly from experienced faculty as well as participate in internships where they will gain skills and experience necessary for their careers.  Students will be mentored by faculty and have access to a pre vet track and opportunities to work alongside faculty research.