2025 Best Animal Science Schools in Illinois

A degree in animal science is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #92 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Animal Science Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 225 degrees in animal science to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

• Best Overall Animal Science Schools List

Animal Science Rankings by Degree Level

The animal science school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Animal Science Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Animal Science in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the animal science degree levels they offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Animal Science

1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

176 Animal Science Degrees Awarded

$30,187 Median Starting Salary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in animal science. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, animal science degree recipients usually earn about $30,187 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in animal science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Carbondale, IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

$30,706 Median Starting Salary

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a great option for students pursuing a degree in animal science. SIUC is a large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale.

Students who receive their degree from the animal science program earn about $30,706 for their early career.

More information about a degree in animal science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Best Animal Science Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Animal Science Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Michigan	322	171
Ohio	314	254
Indiana	294	198
Wisconsin	273	298

View All Rankings >

Animal Science Related Rankings by Major

Animal Science is one of 18 different types of Agriculture & Agriculture Operations programs to choose from.

Animal Science Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Animal Sciences, General	205
Animal Sciences, Other	18
Animal Health	2

View All Animal Science Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Animal Science

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Agricultural Economics & Business	466
Horticulture	404
General Agriculture	246
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	183
Food Science Technology	151
Agricultural Mechanization	147
Veterinary Medicine	128
Agricultural Production	115
Plant Sciences	83
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences	47

View All Animal Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Billy Hathorn.

More about our data sources and methodologies.