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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 83 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$207,603 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

59.5 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−83%Estimated return after 10 years
$49,193Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$49,193 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$49,193Typical earnings four years after completion
$53,238Average earnings five years after completion
$22,250Typical federal student debt
19thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
21Degrees awarded in 2024–25
79College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 10 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Animal Sciences

How much do Animal Sciences bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $49,193 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $22,250. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Animal Sciences?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $45,959 to $53,117 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Animal Sciences?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$27,324
Federal debt
$17,480
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$42,663
Federal debt
$12,000
Programs in the comparison
13
7 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$49,193
Federal debt
$22,250
Programs in the comparison
83
79 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$82,704
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$45,959National median$49,19375th percentile$53,117
79 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$53,11775th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$22,250Median federal debt across programs that report it
12Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Georgia

$61,176 four years after completionAthens, GA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Cornell University

$14,100 among completer borrowersIthaca, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Texas A&M University-College Station

339 reported awards in 2024–25College Station, TX · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$57,605Observed year-4 earnings$50,975
$11,531Annual college-wide average net price$24,323
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Georgia$61,1762University of Massachusetts-Amherst$59,5433University of Wisconsin-Madison$57,6054Texas A&M University-College Station$57,3245University of Maryland-College Park$56,2486University of Arkansas$56,1367Texas Tech University$55,7538Stephen F Austin State University$54,9849California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$54,80510Michigan State University$54,751

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 median wage8,920 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,870–$163,150 typical wage rangeFarmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 median wage6,500 jobs nationwide-3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 70,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$54,320–$160,020 typical wage rangeAnimal Scientists$68,940 median wage3,100 jobs nationwide+5.8% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$44,350–$166,000 typical wage rangeFarm and Home Management Educators$60,220 median wage8,220 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$37,650–$85,060 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 median wage27,960 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 7,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,990–$91,770 typical wage rangeAgricultural Technicians$49,630 median wage15,130 jobs nationwide+5.4% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$35,980–$76,480 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Agricultural Business and Management

Year-4 earnings
$65,882
Federal debt
$20,000
80 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Agriculture, General

Year-4 earnings
$52,804
Federal debt
$20,699
51 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Plant Sciences

Year-4 earnings
$56,265
Federal debt
$20,500
49 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Food Science and Technology

Year-4 earnings
$70,537
Federal debt
$20,973
30 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

TX9 programs$49,235 average earningsMO5 programs$45,412 average earningsCT5 programs$47,577 average earningsCA5 programs$51,663 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.