Animal Science Specialty

Home > Undergraduate Education > College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management > Animal Science Specialty

123 semester hours

The undergraduate Animal Science program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo offers students a choice of two curricula: the Pre-Veterinary Curriculum and the Sustainable Livestock Production Curriculum. Both programs emphasize small class size to allow for more faculty-student interaction and individual attention, and in both programs students take a wide variety of Animal Science courses.

To complement classroom instruction, the College maintains cattle, goats, horses, sheep, and swine on the 110-acre College farm. The animals are used during lab periods to provide hands-on experience for students to help translate classroom instruction into real life situations. Due to the mild climate in Hawaiʻi, it is possible to work outside with livestock in labs throughout the year. To gain additional hands-on experience, some students work on the College farm.

Pre-Veterinary Curriculum

The Pre-Veterinary curriculum provides students with a well-rounded educational background in animal science, humanities, and natural sciences to help prepare them for post-graduate studies in Veterinary Medicine or Animal Science. Animal Science Pre-Veterinary students are required to take many of the same courses taken by Biology students. Three Animal Science courses are cross-listed as Biology courses. Because of these factors, it is possible for Animal Science Pre-Veterinary students to receive a B.S. in Agriculture and a B.S. in Biology. Another feature of this program is that it meets the entrance course requirements of many veterinary colleges and graduate animal science programs. Students that enter these post-graduate programs are pursuing degrees in Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) or Animal Science (M.S., Ph.D.). Former UH Hilo Animal Science students have studied Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Oregon State University, Tuskegee University, University of Minnesota, and Washington State University. With a D.V.M. degree, a wide range of employment opportunities exist such as private veterinary practice, representation of drug and pharmaceutical companies, university teaching and research, federal inspection, governmental research and animal care positions. Those who complete a M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Animal Science can take positions as geneticists, meat scientists, nutritionists, researchers, teachers, technicians, or extension livestock agents.

Sustainable Livestock Production Curriculum

This curriculum provides students with a good background in Animal Science, Agriculture, and General Education courses so they will be prepared for careers in or related to livestock production. In this program students receive a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with specialization in Animal Science. The curriculum helps to prepare students to work with livestock on farms and ranches or to obtain positions in the livestock industry or related fields. Former Animal Science students have taken positions at livestock farms, dairies, ranches, equestrian centers, experiment stations, quarantine stations, veterinary clinics, and zoos. Employment opportunities also exist with government agencies and with livestock and feed companies.

Agriculture: Animal Science Specialty: Pre-Veterinary Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree

GROUP 1. General Education Requirements (and Assigned Credits)

English Composition (3)
Quantitative Reasoning [MATH course in Group 2 fulfills all 3 semester hours of this requirement]
World Cultures (6)
Humanities (3 or more) [ENG 225 and one COM course in Group 2 count as 6 out of the 9 semester hours of this requirement]
Social Sciences (9)
Natural Sciences [Courses in Group 2 fulfill all 10 semester hours of this requirement]

GROUP 1 Total: 21 Semester Credits

GROUP 2. Major Requirements (and Assigned Credits)

Agriscience Requirements
- AGBU 110 Introduction to Micro-computing for Agriculture (3)
- ANSC 141 Introduction to Animal Science (3) [see Note 1 below]
- ANSC 244 Fundamentals of Animal Nutrition (3)
- ANSC 321 Feeds and Feeding (3)
- ANSC 350 Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals (3)
- ANSC 445 Animal Breeding and Genetics (3)
- ANSC 450 Reproduction of Farm Animals (3)
- ANSC 453 Animal Diseases and Parasites I (3)
- ANSC 454 Animal Diseases and Parasites II (3)
- ANSC 490 Animal Science Internship (3)
- Choose THREE courses from the following ANSC courses:
  - ANSC 342 Beef Cattle Production (3)
  - ANSC 351 Swine Production (3)
  - ANSC 353 Horse Production (3)
  - ANSC 354 Poultry Production (3)
  - ANSC 355 Goat and Sheep Production (3)
Required Courses from Related Fields
- AG 375 Introduction to Genetic Analysis (3) OR BIOL 466 Genetics (3)
- BIOL 175/175L Introductory Biology I plus Lab (4)
- BIOL 176/176L Introductory Biology II plus Lab (4)
- BIOL 270/270L Intermediate Cell & Molecular Biology plus Lab (4)
- BIOL 275/275L Fundamentals of Microbiology plus Lab (4)
- BIOL 280 Biostatistics (3)
- BIOL 410 Biochemistry (3)
- CHEM 124/124D/124L General Chemistry I plus Discussion and Lab (5)
- CHEM 125/125D/125L General Chemistry II plus Discussion and Lab (5)
- CHEM 241/241L Organic Chemistry plus Lab (4)
- CHEM 242/242L Organic Chemistry plus Lab (4)
- ENG 225 Writing for Science and Technology (3)
- PHYS 106/170L College Physics I plus Lab (4)
- PHYS 107/171L College Physics II plus Lab (4)
- Choose ONE course from the following 3-semester-credit COM courses:
  - COM 100 Human Communication in a Diverse Society
  - COM 200 Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication
  - COM 251 Public Speaking
- Choose ONE course from the following MATH courses:
  - MATH 104 Pre-calculus Mathematics (4)
  - MATH 104F Pre-calculus I: Functions (3)
  - MATH 104G Pre-Calculus II: Trigonometry & Analytic Geometry (3)
  - MATH 115 Applied Calculus (3)
  - MATH 205 Calculus I (4)
  - MATH 206 Calculus II (4)

GROUP 2 Total: 99 – 100 Semester Credits

GROUP 3: Electives. Some suggested electives are other Animal Science courses not listed as requirements, other agricultural courses (AGEC 221 and AGRN 410), and other Biology courses.
GROUP 3 Total: 3 – 4 Semester Credits

Total Semester Hours Required For The B.S. in Agriculture, Animal Science Specialty: Pre-Veterinary: 123

Notes:

ANSC 141 must be completed before taking other Animal Science courses.
Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major.
To earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, students must fulfill the requirements for the major AND meet all of the University’s other baccalaureate degree requirements. (Please see the chapter on Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in the Catalog.)
Students should always check course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is found in Course Listings in the back of the Catalog.
To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.

Agriculture: Animal Science Specialty: Sustainable Livestock Production Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree

GROUP 1. General Education Requirements (and Assigned Credits)

English Composition (3)
Quantitative Reasoning [MATH 121 in Group 2 fulfills all 3 semester hours of this requirement]
World Cultures (3 or more) [AG 230 in Group 2 fulfills 3 of the 6 semester hours of this requirement]
Humanities (3 or more) [ENG 225 and one COM course in Group 2 count as 6 out of the 9 semester hours of this requirement]
Social Sciences (6 or more) [AGEC 201 counts as 3 out of the 9 semester hours of this requirement]
Natural Sciences [Science Courses in Group 2 fulfill all 10 semester hours of this requirement]

GROUP 1 Total: 15 Semester Credits

GROUP 2. Major Requirements (and Assigned Credits)

Agriscience Requirements
- AG 230 Sustainable Agriculture (3)
- AG 497 Senior Seminar (1) [see Note 1 below]
- AGBU 110 Introduction to Micro-computing for Agriculture (3)
- AGEC 201 Agricultural Economics (3)
- AGEC 322 Marketing Agricultural Products (3)
- AGEC 330 Farm Management (3)
- AGEN 231 Introduction to Agricultural Mechanization (3)
- AGRN 410 Soil-Plant-Herbivore Interrelations (3) OR AGRN 310 Agronomic Crop Production in the Tropics
- ANSC 141 Introduction to Animal Science (3) [see Note 2 below]
- ANSC 244 Fundamentals of Animal Nutrition (3)
- ANSC 321 Feeds and Feeding (3)
- ANSC 350 Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals (3)
- ANSC 445 Animal Breeding and Genetics (3)
- ANSC 450 Reproduction of Farm Animals (3)
- ANSC 453 Animal Diseases and Parasites I (3)
- ANSC 454 Animal Diseases and Parasites II (3)
- ANSC 490 Animal Science Internship (3)
- HORT 262 Principles of Horticulture (3)
- SOIL 304 Tropical Soils (3)
- Choose THREE courses from the following ANSC courses:
  - ANSC 342 Beef Cattle Production (3)
  - ANSC 351 Swine Production (3)
  - ANSC 353 Horse Production (3)
  - ANSC 354 Poultry Production (3)
  - ANSC 355 Goat and Sheep Production (3)
Required Courses from Related Fields
- BIOL 175/175L Introductory Biology I plus Lab (4)
- BIOL 176/176L Introductory Biology II plus Lab (4)
- CHEM 124/124D/124L General Chemistry I plus Discussion and Lab (5)
- CHEM 125/125D/125L General Chemistry II plus Discussion and Lab (5)
- ENG 225 Writing for Science and Technology (3)
- MATH 121 Introduction to Statistics and Probability (3)
- Choose ONE course of the following 3-semester-credit COM courses:
  - COM 100 Human Communication in a Diverse Society
  - COM 200 Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication
  - COM 251 Public Speaking

GROUP 2 Total: 109 Semester Credits

GROUP 3. Electives. Some suggested electives are other Animal Science courses not listed as requirements, other agricultural courses, and other science courses. [See Note 3 below]
GROUP 3 Total: 17 Semester Credits

Total Semester Hours Required For The B.S. in Agriculture, Animal Science Specialty: Sustainable Livestock Production: 123

Notes:

AG 497 may be taken before senior year.
ANSC 141 must be completed before taking other Animal Science courses.
Students who decide later to apply for a Master of Science or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program after graduation would find the following science courses useful: BIOL 270, 380, 410, 466; CHEM 241, 242; PHYS 106, 170; and MATH 104.
Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major.
To earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, students must fulfill the requirements for the major AND meet all of the University’s other baccalaureate degree requirements. (Please see the chapter on Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in the Catalog.)
Students should always check course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is found in Course Listings in the back of the Catalog.
To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.