You might say you love animals, but do you really love animals? Look, we're not gonna throw shade at anyone who loves dogs, cats, birds, or even rides horses from time to time, but we've gotta draw the line somewhere. Some folks love animals more than anything, and we want to give a special shout out to them.
If you can picture yourself spending hours in nature studying animals and the natural world, then we've got a couple programs you should look into. And we're not talking about just biology. No no no: these are some great schools with full on zoology programs. So if you fancy yourself a Steve Irwin disciple or a future Jane Goodall, these are some schools you're definitely gonna want to check out.
As with some of our other lists like this, we're not going to rank these in any order or even necessarily give you the "best" zoology programs in the country, whatever that means. Instead, we're going to look at a variety of schools both public and private from a bunch of different regions in the country so that no matter where you want to end up, there should be a spot that interests you. So, without further ado, here are our favorite zoology programs in the country.
The List: Colleges with Zoology programs
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Ivy League schools always make these lists for all the obvious reasons, and Cornell University is our choice today. They call it an animal science program rather than a zoology program, and while it is admittedly more industry- than wildlife-oriented, it's still a top notch program that should satisfy anybody interested in animal sciences. Plus, they used to have a full on "Zoology Wildlife Conservation" program which-though now officially defunct-still operates in some capacity through their Biomedical and Biological Sciences department. Plus, they've got a collaborative research program with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, which ought to sound like a dream come true for anyone interested in this field.
So where's the rub? For starters, these more wildlife-focused programs are at the graduate level rather than undergraduate level, so if that's your bag, you'll have to wait a bit. And at the undergraduate level, Cornell is still a tough school to get into, with a typically Ivy League acceptance rate of around 11%. Still, this might just be a perfect reach school for anybody obsessed with animals.
University of California-Davis, Davis, CA
Representing the west coast on this list is the top-performing California public institute University of California-Davis. Unlike Cornell's focus on animal industries, UC Davis's Animal Biology major (distinct from their Animal Sciences major, which is more specifically about domesticated animals) seems to have a more diverse style allowing students to work with both domesticated animals and wild animals, and they emphasize the degree to which you'll be working in hands-on situations with these animals. It's an innately syncretic field with requirements in complex math as well as biology (so be prepared to study!), and it concludes with a special creative project designed by each individual student as a capstone for the whole program.
UC-Davis also has one big advantage: it's a public school. That means its admission rate is a comfortable (if not exactly easy) 45%, and in-state tuition is only around $14,000, which is excellent given the quality of the education. Out-of-state tuition is higher as can be expected, but it's still affordable compared to some of the competition, and given California's immense natural beauty and diverse landscapes, this is an excellent place to study the natural world whether or not you're a California native.
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
We'll go ahead and say it: alligators rock. They're basically dinosaurs, and they're all over Florida, which is just one more reason zoology-hopefuls should look at the University of Florida. We don't want to undersell the school by just focusing on the gators, however, as UF has a sensational zoology program all around that focuses on evolution and ecology as its core foundations and seems much less interested in animal husbandry than the previous two entries. If you end up calling UF home for the next four years, you can expect to be ditching farms and studying wild animals and the environments they live in instead.
We love this southern public university for more reasons than just its zoology program. Its 35% admission rate means it's pretty attainable for anyone who takes their studies seriously, and its in-state tuition of around $6,000 should make it a no-brainer for any Floridians who wanna make the leap into studying the natural world. Out-of-state is also bewitchingly affordable compared to its competition, meaning that UF is a perfect school for anyone who wants a quality education without breaking the bank.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
As the last entry and our list's representative for the midwest, this star-studded university up in Illinois has another great animal sciences program that shouldn't be ignored. They've got the stats lined up on their front page, but we want to give them to you here as a taste: 100% of students in the program work, volunteer, or pursue internships before graduating, and graduates earn on average 21% more than peers at other universities. They also claim to be ranked #1 compared to other comparable programs, but there's enough vagueness in that claim that we'll let you decide what to make of it. Regardless, it's an excellent program with a focus on conservation, veterinary sciences, and sustainable food systems. They've really got it all.
And as a public university, we can expect some familiarly relieving admissions statistics. With a 63% admission rate and in-state tuition at just over $15,000, this is another achievable dream for anyone who wants to pursue this as a path forward. And while Illinois isn't exactly known for alligators like Florida, there's still plenty of beautiful forests, hills, and lakes that could satisfy your desire for wilderness experiences.
How College Rover Can Help
We have all the majors in the country compiled on our site, so if you're dead set on animal sciences but don't see a school you love on this list, we can help you find some you >do >fall in love with. Visit College Rover today to help make this process a lot simpler and find every school in the country that you might want to call home for the next four years.
