Welcome to Animal Sciences

-- from Neal Merchen, Professor and Head, Animal Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Animal Sciences, an academic family that includes more than 6,000 alumni, 500 undergraduate students and more than 100 graduate students. We are proud of our legacy, and we are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for our students and stakeholders through excellence in teaching, research and outreach programs.

Why Animal Sciences?

Students in Animal Sciences combine their interests in biology and animals in a learning environment that extends beyond the classroom. The Department of Animal Sciences offers our students opportunities to conduct undergraduate research, gain hands-on experience working in our laboratories and farms, participate in internships, and become active in a number of student organizations. Our students work with beef cattle and poultry in state-of-the-art research facilities, serve internships in animal shelters and zoos, and conduct discovery research in cutting-edge programs in immunology and reproductive biology. We provide opportunities for virtually every area of interest and our students become skilled in applying their knowledge to address real-world problems.

The work of the Department of Animal Sciences is important. Our research and Extension programs address efficiency, profitability and well-being of dairy and beef cattle, pigs, and poultry and enhance the supply of food for a growing world population. Our programs in companion animal biology and humane education create information for pet owners and help us understand the value of positive relationships between humans and animals. Fundamental research in physiology, nutrition and behavior solve animal sciences problems and have significant impact on medical problems in humans.

Our Commitment

We have a diverse and nationally respected faculty that solve problems of real importance to society and who are deeply committed to providing the best of educational experiences to our students. We care about the success of our students and we will provide a high-quality education that will equip them to identify and solve the challenges of the future.

The learning opportunities in the Department of Animal Sciences and the University of Illinois are without limit. Come see for yourself why the Department of Animal Sciences is held in high regard in the nation and throughout the world.