Questions To Consider

If you're serious about attending college to pursue a career in animal training or other animal-related career, consider the following questions:

Does the college have the program I need to prepare for my career?

Is there a zoological park, animal shelter, veterinarian clinic, or pet store I can volunteer or work at while I attend school?

Am I willing to move to take advantage of the educational and career opportunities this school offers?

How many people that graduate from the program find jobs in animal-related careers?

Are there internships available for working with animals?

Who is teaching the courses - graduate students or professors?

What experience do the instructors have working with animals?

How much time do the instructors have to work with me?

With the degree program I choose, what are some other career options if I can't find a job working with animals, or decide that I'm no longer interested in working with animals?

Schools & Universities

Here is a partial listing of schools and universities that offer programs that can help students prepare for a zoological park career.

Brigham Young University
Animal Health Technology Program
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 378-3042
www.byu.edu
Animal Health Technician, also a Bachelor's of Animal Science

Colby Community College
Veterinary Technology Program
1255 South Range
Colby, KS 67701
(785) 462-3984
www.colbycc.edu

Colorado Mountain College
Veterinary Technology Program
Spring Valley Campus
3000 Co. Road 114
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
(970) 945-7481
www.coloradomtn.edu

Community College of Baltimore
2901 Liberty Heights Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
www.ccbcmd.edu
Associate of Science degree in Science Technology, with emphasis on aquariology and zookeeping

Cornell University
Laboratory of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithica, NY 14853
www.cornell.edu
Bird biology; correspondence course seminars in ornithology

Emporia State University
1200 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
(877) GO-TO-ESU
www.emporia.edu
Programs in environmental biology and zoology emphasizing handling, care, and feeding

Friends University of Wichita
Sedgwick County Zoo
Zoo Studies Programs
Friends University
Wichita, KS 67213
(800) 794-6945
www.friends.edu
B.S. and M.S. programs with emphasis in Zoo Science, Zoo Management, and Zoo Education; requires 360 hours of practical experience at Sedgwick County Zoo

Harcum Junior College
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(215) 525-4100 ext. 253
www.harcum.edu
Animal Health Technology; Laboratory Animal Science; Animal Center Management with a practicum at area zoos and wildlife facilities

Houston Community College System
22 Waugh Drive
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 718-5059
www.hccs.edu
Animal Health Management; Pet & Laboratory Animal Management; Ranch and Exotic Animal Management

Humboldt State University
1 Harper Street
Arcata, CA 95521-8299
(707) 826-3011
www.humboldt.edu
B.S. and M.S. programs in aquarium sciences

Los Angeles Pierce College
Animal Health Technology Program
6201 Winnetka Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91371
(818) 347-0551
www.piercecollege.edu

Michigan State University
Department of Fisheries Wildlife
Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
(517) 355-8332
www.msu.edu
Courses in zookeeping and aquarium management; flexible programs to allow specialization in captive animal management

Moorpark College
Exotic Animal Training and Management
7075 Campus Road
Moorpark, CA 93021
(805) 378-1400
www.moorparkcollege.edu
Two-and-a-half year program including hands-on experience with campus animal compound earns an Associate of Science degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management.

New Orleans Universities
Research Coordinator
Audubon Park Zoological Gardens
P.O. Box 4327
New Orleans, LA 70178
(888) 514-4275
www.uno.edu
Zoo research courses in anthropology, biology, and psychology

Quinnipiac College
Laboratory Animal Technology Program
Mt. Carmel Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
(203) 228-5251
www.qu.edu

San Diego Mesa College
Animal Health Technology Program
7250 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111
(619) 388-2600
www.sdmesa.edu

Santa Fe College
Box 1530
3000 N.W. 83rd Street
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 395-5000
www.sfcollege.edu
A 74-hour program is available to train students in the vocation of Zookeeper, Park Naturalist, Animal Technician, and other husbandry fields; also a four-year program is available in cooperation with State University of New York at Oswego.

University of Florida
College of Veterinary Medicine
Gainesville, FL 32611
(352) 392-3261
www.ufl.edu

University of Idaho
College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences
Moscow, ID 83843
(888) 8-UIDAHO
www.uidaho.edu
Fish and wildlife courses with some orientation toward zookeeping

University of Illinois
Department of Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution
Urbana, IL 61801
(217 351-2224
www.illinois.edu
Animal caretaker curriculum

University of Michigan
School of Natural Resources
Dana Building
430 E. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1115
(734) 764-1817
www.umich.edu
Zoo Management and Administration, Landscape Architecture

Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts
Department of Biological Sciences
Detroit, MI 48202
(877) WSU-INFO
www.wayne.edu
Zoo Management Program; directed study courses at the Detroit Zoo