Best institutions to study Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the internal medicine and invasive and noninvasive treatment of herd, work, sport, and food animals.
1 U.S. institutions graduated 1 Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine students in 2024–25 (IPEDS). It is CIP 01.8103, a specialization of Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (CIP 01.81), and leads most directly to the Animal Scientists occupation (BLS SOC 19-1011).
About Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine programs
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the internal medicine and invasive and noninvasive treatment of herd, work, sport, and food animals. Includes instruction in equine medicine, swine and dairy medicine, food animal medicine, pathophysiology, large animal diseases, large animal anesthesiology and surgical procedures, preoperative and postoperative care, and specific medical specialties such as dentistry, ophthalmology, oncology, obstetrics/theriogenology, and orthopedics.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020).
The Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine program focuses on the scientific study and treatment of herd, work, sport, and food animals. It is designed for students interested in veterinary medicine, particularly in caring for large animals such as horses, cattle, and swine. This program is part of the Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences field, providing essential knowledge for aspiring veterinarians and animal health specialists.
Students in this program will gain expertise in equine medicine, large animal diseases, anesthesiology, and surgical procedures. Coursework covers pathophysiology, preoperative and postoperative care, and specialized medical fields such as dentistry and orthopedics, equipping graduates with critical skills for animal health care.
Credentials awarded
What Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine graduates earned in 2024–25, by award level (IPEDS completions).
- Master's degree1 graduates / yr · 1 institution100%
Graduates over time
Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine completions reported to IPEDS each year, all award levels combined.
| Year | Graduates |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Top 1 institutions for Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine, ranked by graduates
Graduates (IPEDS completions), 2024–25. Award levels show which credentials each institution confers in this specialization.
| # | Institution | Graduates / yr | Grad rate | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Georgia Athens, GAPublicMaster's | 1 | 90% | — |
Offered in 1 states
Where Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine graduates come from. Each state links to all Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences programs offered there.
| State | Institutions | Graduates / yr | Top institution by graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 1 | 1 | University of Georgia1 / yr |
Careers & outlook
The payoff after graduation: occupation 19-1011, Animal Scientists, and its national outlook.
Graduates of this program can pursue careers as animal scientists, veterinarians, or health specialties teachers. The job outlook is promising, with a growth rate of 5.8% and approximately 200 annual openings. The median wage for these professionals is around $79,120, typically requiring a bachelor's degree for entry-level positions.
Top-paying metros
Career pathways for CIP 01.8103
The occupations the NCES crosswalk maps this 6-digit code to, with BLS pay and 10-year outlook.
| Occupation | US median pay | Growth | Openings / yr | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Animal Scientistsprimary SOC 19-1011 | $68,940 | +5.8% Faster than average | ~200 | Bachelor's degree |
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary SOC 25-1071 | $107,310 | +17.3% Much faster than average | ~27,400 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Veterinarians SOC 29-1131 | $130,100 | +9.6% Much faster than average | ~3,000 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Related careers
Skills & knowledge in Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine programs
From the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the occupation this specialization most leads to.
Skills you'll build
Knowledge areas
Abilities that matter most
Day-to-day work activities
What graduates do on the job
- Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
- Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
- Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
- Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
- Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
- Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
Tools and technology used
Other Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences specializations
The 11 other 6-digit CIP codes under Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (CIP 01.81).
- Veterinary Sciences/CIP 01.8101
Veterinary Clinical Sciences 740 graduates / yr23 institutions - Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public HealthCIP 01.8110partial data63 graduates / yr6 institutions
- Comparative and Laboratory Animal MedicineCIP 01.8102partial data47 graduates / yr6 institutions
- Veterinary Pathology and PathobiologyCIP 01.8108partial data46 graduates / yr6 institutions
- Veterinary Microbiology and ImmunobiologyCIP 01.8107partial data30 graduates / yr4 institutions
- Veterinary Infectious DiseasesCIP 01.8106partial data29 graduates / yr4 institutions
- Small/CIP 01.8104
Companion Animal Surgery and Medicine limited data11 graduates / yr1 institutions - Veterinary PhysiologyCIP 01.8109limited data3 graduates / yr2 institutions
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical SciencesCIP 01.8199limited data1 graduates / yr1 institutions
Show 2 more CIP codes with no U.S. programs reported+
- Veterinary Anatomy01.8105
- Veterinary Toxicology and Pharmacology01.8111
No institution reported completions for these codes in the latest IPEDS year, so they have no page.
See all Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences programs →
Common questions
What degrees are offered in this program?+
The program offers a Certificate, Master's degree, and PhD in Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine.
What skills will I develop?+
You will develop skills in reading comprehension, critical thinking, and active learning, along with knowledge in biology and chemistry.
What types of careers can I pursue?+
You can work as an animal scientist, veterinarian, or health specialties teacher, among other roles.
What is the job outlook for this field?+
The job outlook is faster than average, with a 5.8% growth rate and about 200 annual job openings.
What is the CIP code for Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine?+
Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine is CIP 01.8103 in the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020), a 6-digit specialization within Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (CIP 01.81). NCES defines it as: A program that focuses on the scientific study of the internal medicine and invasive and noninvasive treatment of herd, work, sport, and food animals. Includes instruction in equine medicine, swine and dairy medicine, food animal medicine, pathophysiology, large animal diseases, large animal anesthesiology and surgical procedures, preoperative and postoperative care, and specific medical specialties such as dentistry, ophthalmology, oncology, obstetrics/theriogenology, and orthopedics.
How many institutions offer Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine programs?+
1 U.S. institutions reported Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine graduates in IPEDS 2024–25, across 1 states, awarding 1 credentials in the year. That is 0.1% of all Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences graduates.
How much do Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine graduates earn?+
Earnings are not published at the 6-digit CIP level by any federal source. The Animal Scientists occupation, which Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine most directly leads to, pays a median of $68,940 a year nationally (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
Program definitions are from the NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020). Skills, knowledge, abilities, work activities, tools, and job zones are from the O*NET database by the U.S. Department of Labor, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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