College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is an Animal Sciences degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 82 colleges (82 of 82 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$28,976

Graduates only, early career.$29,105 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,722

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.69×

70% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Animal Sciences report early-career pay between $25,907 and $32,950 — a spread of $7,043 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $25,907 median $28,976 75th pct $32,950

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Associate's 5 colleges $27,907 $12,000 0.38×

Bachelor's 82 colleges $28,976 $20,722 0.69×

Master's 3 colleges $68,147 — —

Where an Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

South Dakota State University SD $40,797 $21,349 debt

University of Minnesota-Crookston MN $39,654 $21,500 debt

University of Wisconsin-Platteville WI $38,120 $18,748 debt

Auburn University AL $37,905 $19,500 debt

California State University-Fresno CA $35,992 $17,500 debt

The University of Findlay OH $35,940 $26,000 debt

Colorado State University-Fort Collins CO $35,832 $21,500 debt

Iowa State University IA $35,828 $20,500 debt

University of Wisconsin-River Falls WI $35,523 $21,224 debt

University of Wisconsin-Madison WI $35,454 $25,000 debt

University of Maryland-College Park MD $35,248 $21,500 debt

Northwest Missouri State University MO $35,068 $18,089 debt

Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $34,236 $21,500 debt

Michigan State University MI $34,232 $25,023 debt

Angelo State University TX $34,118 $18,625 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Animal Sciences, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard