Animal Sciences: Companion & Equine Science, BS
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in Animal Sciences, Companion & Equine Science Concentration
The companion animal and equine science concentration is designed for students intending to pursue a career in those industries generally not associated with traditional meat animal or dairy production. Students will take courses that prepare them for careers in specialized fields of animal care, animal health and animal well-being associated with zoos, kennels, research laboratories, and the racing industry.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in Animal Sciences, Companion & Equine Science Concentration
Prescribed Courses including Campus General Education
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 126 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300 and 400 level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-8 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Department Foundation | ||
| ANSC 198 | Building Habits for Success in Animal Sciences | 2 |
| Communication Option: | 3 or 6 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Let’s Talk about Food, Agriculture, and the Environment | ||
| Oral & Written Comm I and Oral & Written Comm II | ||
| Calculus Option - Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus for Business I | ||
| Statistics Option - Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Applied Statistical Methods and Data Analytics I | ||
| Intro to Applied Statistics | ||
| Economic Statistics I | ||
| Intro to Statistics | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Intro to Social Statistics | ||
| CHEM 102 & CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I | 4 |
| CHEM 104 & CHEM 105 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Lab II | 4 |
| MCB 100 & MCB 101 | Introductory Microbiology and Intro Microbiology Laboratory | 5 |
| ECON 102 | Microeconomic Principles | 3 or 4 |
| or ACE 100 | Introduction to Applied Microeconomics | |
| Major Core | ||
| ANSC 100 | Intro to Animal Sciences | 4 |
| ANSC 101 | Contemporary Animal Issues | 3 |
| ANSC 103 | Working With Farm Animals | 2 |
| ANSC 221 | Cells, Metabolism and Genetics | 3 |
| ANSC 222 | Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| ANSC 223 | Animal Nutrition | 3 |
| ANSC 224 | Animal Reproduction and Growth | 4 |
| ANSC 298 | Animal Science Careers and Professional Development | 1 |
| ANSC 398 | UG Experiential Learning (must be taken for a letter grade) | 1 |
| ANSC 498 | Integrating Animal Sciences | 2 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Companion Animal and Equine Science Core | ||
| Choose one group: ANSC 206, ANSC 250, ANSC 306, & ANSC 307 may NOT be used to meet more than one degree requirement. | 6 | |
| Companion Animals in Society and Companion Animal Management | ||
| or | ||
| Horse Management and Equine Science | ||
| Select two of the following Applied Sciences courses: | 6 | |
| Principles of Dairy Production | ||
| World Animal Resources | ||
| Horse Management | ||
| Meat Animal Evaluation | ||
| Introduction to Animal Evaluation | ||
| Companion Animals in Society | ||
| Food Animal Production, Management, and Evaluation | ||
| Human Animal Interactions | ||
| Equine Science | ||
| Companion Animal Management | ||
| Meat Production and Marketing | ||
| Meat Selection and Grading | ||
| Advanced Livestock Evaluation | ||
| Horse Appraisal | ||
| Adv Dairy Cattle Evaluation | ||
| Livestock Feeds and Feeding | ||
| Companion Animal Policy | ||
| Dairy Herd Management | ||
| Beef Production | ||
| Sheep and Goat Production | ||
| Pork Production | ||
| Poultry Science | ||
| Animal Shelter Management | ||
| Pet Food & Feed Manufacturing | ||
| Milk Quality and Udder Health | ||
| Companion Animal Cruelty Investigations | ||
| ANSC Leaders & Entrepreneurs | ||
| Feeds in Dairy Nutrition and Diet Formulation | ||
| Nutritional Impact on Cow Health and Disorders | ||
| What is Milk and Milk Quality | ||
| Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision for Precision Management | ||
| Select two of the following Basic Sciences courses: | 6 | |
| Epidemics and Infectious Diseases | ||
| Principles of Biochemistry in Animals | ||
| Behavior of Domestic Animals | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Zoo Animal Conservation Sci | ||
| Meat Science | ||
| Ruminant Nutrition | ||
| Minerals and Vitamins | ||
| Companion Animal Nutrition | ||
| Advanced Reproductive Biology | ||
| Lactation Biology | ||
| Applied Statistical Methods I | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Applied Animal Genetics | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Population Genetics | ||
| Biological Modeling | ||
| Comparative Immunobiology | ||
| Microbes and the Anim Indust | ||
| Animal Growth and Development | ||
| Neuroimmunology | ||
| Physiology of Animal Stress & Disease | ||
| Applied Animal Ecology | ||
| Introduction to Coding and Precision Management | ||
| Protein and Energy Nutrition | ||
| Regulation of Metabolism | ||
| Advanced Ruminant Nutrition | ||
| Techniques in Animal Nutrition | ||
| Nonruminant Nutrition Concepts | ||
| Topics in Nutrition Research | ||
| Adv Companion Animal Nutrition | ||
| Repro Physiology Lab Methods | ||
| Regression Analysis | ||
| Applied Bioinformatics | ||
| Bioinformatics | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Hours | 126 | |
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in Animal Sciences, Companion & Equine Science Concentration
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ANSC 100 | 4 | Composition I or Communication Option | 4 |
| ANSC 198 | 2 | ANSC 101 | 3 |
| CHEM 102 | 3 | CHEM 104 | 3 |
| CHEM 103 | 1 | CHEM 105 | 1 |
| Communication Option or Composition I | 3 | Calculus Option | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ANSC 222 | 3 | ANSC 223 | 3 |
| ANSC 221 | 3 | ANSC 224 | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 | ANSC 298 | 1 |
| Statistics Option | 3 | Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| ANSC 103 | 2 | ||
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ANSC 250 or 206 | 3 | ANSC 398 | 1 |
| Applied Science course | 3 | ANSC 307 or 306 | 3 |
| MCB 100 | 3 | Applied Science course | 3 |
| MCB 101 | 2 | ECON 102 or ACE 100 | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| ANSC 498 | 2 | Basic Sciences course | 3 |
| Basic Sciences course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 4 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 | Free Elective course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 126 | |||
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in Animal Sciences, Companion & Equine Science Concentration
Upon successful completion of a degree in Animal Sciences, students will:
- Demonstrate a mastery of the principles of animal sciences including genetics, nutrition, reproduction, and physiology
- Understand and apply knowledge of animal husbandry, behavior, and handling techniques to effectively interact with animals in a safe and humane manner
- Describe the breadth of animal sciences in terms of the variety of career paths, the diversity of the animal industries, the many roles of animals in society, and the contemporary issues facing animals and their environments
- Communicate effectively, both written and orally, and interpret scientific sources and data
- Through real-world and classroom experiences, develop competencies transferable to animal science careers
The Companion Animal and Equine Science concentration is one of the only programs of its kind. Students in this concentration are able to focus their animal sciences degree on the animals we share our lives with. Discover a career in industries outside of traditional meat animal or dairy production. Prepare for careers in specialized fields of animal care, health and well-being associated with zoos, kennels, research laboratories, and the racing industry.
This program:
- Prepares students for a career in humane education, animal advocacy and policy, shelter management, and animal care and control.
- Provides courses and experiences to develop skills related to companion animal behavior.
- Offers approximately 25 students participate in internships through the Champaign County 3. Humane Society and ASPCA Poison Control Center every semester.
for the degree of Bachelor of Science Major in Animal Sciences, Companion & Equine Science Concentration
Animal Sciences
Animal Sciences website
Animal Sciences Laboratory
1207 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-3131
ansc@illinois.edu
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences website
ACES Office of Academic Programs
128 Mumford Hall
1301 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
217-333-3380
aces-academics@illinois.edu
Advising
Advising Website
217-333-3570
anscadvising@illinois.edu
Admissions
ACES Undergraduate Admissions
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Undergrad Admissions
217-333-3380
visitACES@illinois.edu