GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The search is on for students who wish to pursue an education in the poultry industry. According to College Factual, some students aspire to receive a degree in another field, a major in the poultry industry is ranked 798 out of 1,506 other majors.
However, most universities around the country do not have dedicated poultry science departments. The school may offer poultry majors but does not have a department sponsoring these majors. College Factual names six of the best universities with poultry science departments. They are Texas A&M University, North Carolina University, University of Georgia, Auburn University, University of Arkansas, and Mississippi State University.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is located in College Station, Texas. The university is a large school. The college is ranked #55 out of 2,241 universities nationwide. According to the school’s website, Texas A&M is equipped with academic, research and service elements from poultry management to biotechnology. Texas A&M offers an online curriculum for graduate students to obtain a master’s degree.
The online curriculum also has courses online for undergraduate students to earn credit or continue education certification. The highest degree a student can get is a doctorate degree. There are 78 poultry science degrees presented in the past year.
The poultry department head at TAMU is Dr. Audrey McElroy. For more information, visit https://posc.tamu.edu/.
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University is located in the city of Raleigh and has a large student population. The school is ranked #95 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide. According to the university’s website, North Carolina State University receives an estimated 25,000 applications for students to be accepted as freshman. Only 44 percent or 14,748 applicants are accepted. Students can apply for the university’s spring semester admission.
The program includes under-enrolled degree courses in crop sciences, soil sciences, horticulture, plant biology and poultry science. The college provides two-year associate degrees within the poultry field. North Carolina State University has increased their partnerships with other community colleges which will include pathways to CALS. The highest degree a student can obtain from North Carolina State University is a master’s degree. There were 21 students who received poultry science degrees from North Carolina State University in the past year.
The interm department head at NCSU’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science is Dr. Peter Ferket. For more information, visit https://cals.ncsu.edu/prestage-department-of-poultry-science/.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is located in Athens, Ga. UGA is a large university. The school is ranked #79 out of 2,241 universities. UGA’s website said, the school began offering concentrated learning courses in poultry science even before creating the Department of Poultry in 1912. Students have the opportunity to learn about genetics, embryology, and physiology of the bird, nutrition, diseases, poultry and poultry products, economics and business. This education can be used for management of flocks and management of poultry firms. Although particular classes must be taken for poultry science courses, students can still incorporate other courses into their schedule such as accounting, economics or statistics. Students also take agricultural courses like animal sciences, agronomy, entomology, horticulture or plant pathology to increase their agricultural knowledge.
Students who plan to broaden their education to receive a graduate degree will grow their expertise in mathematics, statistics, chemistry, biology, microbiology, physics and computer science. The highest degree a student can obtain from the University of Georgia is a doctorate degree. There were 37 students who received poultry science degrees from the University of Georgia.
The UGA poultry science department head is Dr. Todd Applegate. For more information, visit https://poultry.caes.uga.edu/.
Auburn University
Auburn University is located in Auburn, Ala. Auburn has a large student population. The school is ranked #1 out of 40 universities for its quality. The school’s website stated students who choose to study poultry science will study nutrition, marketing, management and business skills. Students will learn the basics of math and science, as well as the fundamentals of the United States’ food supply and other nations’ food supplies. The poultry science department of Auburn presently offers two majors for students: Poultry Production and Pre-vet/Pre-Professional track. Auburn’s poultry science department has been praised for its poultry production degree.
Often when students decide to major in Pre-Veterinary or Pre-Professional, they want to go further with their education to graduate school. The highest degree a student can obtain from Auburn University is a bachelor’s degree. There were six students who graduated with a poultry science degree in the past year. For students who wish to enter graduate school, Auburn University offers a Master of Agriculture, a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy.
Auburn’s poultry science department head is Dr. William A. Dozier. For more information, visit https://agriculture.auburn.edu/research/poul/.
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is located in the Fayetteville, Ark. The poultry industry supports the University of Arkansas’ poultry department. The college is ranked #1 of 34 universities for its quality. According to the university’s website, the school offers financial aid through scholarships and internships.
It also offers internship opportunities. The highest degree a student can obtain from the University of Arkansas is a doctorate degree. There were 38 students that received poultry science degrees from the University of Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas’ Center of Excellence in Poultry Science’s department head is Dr. David J. Caldwell. For more information, visit https://poultry-science.uark.edu/.
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University is located in Starkville, Miss. The school is ranked #1 out of 26 universities for its quality. The university’s website acknowledged that the school’s curriculum and research correspond with the poultry business’s procedures. 62 percent of the school’s graduates go to work in the poultry industry.
The percentage of students being accepted into Vet school is high ranking. The highest degree a student can obtain from Mississippi State University is a bachelor’s degree. The college had 25 students graduate with a degree in poultry science in the past year.
MSU’s poultry science department head is Dr. Kenneth Macklin. For more information, visit https://www.poultry.msstate.edu/.
