218. Student Perspectives on Companion Animal Education in Collegiate Animal Science Programs.

Abstract The animal science industry is evolving as the demographics shift from those that come from predominantly an agricultural background to those that are two or more generations removed from the family farm. Many students that are interested in animals, especially companion animals, pursue a career as a veterinarian, although not all become one, leaving students wondering what else they can do in the animal industry. Animal science departments appear to be predominantly focused on livestock, although it may serve departments well to expand their companion animal opportunities to attract more students, even with no agricultural background, to expose students to agriculture and potentially increase future employees in various sectors. The objective of this study is to understand the landscape of current collegiate companion animal educational opportunities. The specific aims include evaluating why students chose to partake in a collegiate companion animal education opportunity, whether students involved plan to pursue a career in the companion animal industry, whether students feel adequately prepared for a career, and whether participants feel they have an adequate number of companion animal courses and faculty to teach about companion animals. A cross-sectional survey sent via email listservs was sent to all Animal Science Department Heads and Chairs. Twenty-four universities participated totaling 287 individuals, 89.9% being undergraduate students. Most undergraduate students (n = 258) pursued a companion animal educational opportunity at their school for multiple reasons such as interest in the topic (87.2%), career goals (79.8%), and seeking knowledge (74.8%). Less common reasons included the reputation of the program (27.5%), recommendations from faculty, staff, or administrators (18.6%), and recommendations from other students (10.5%). Most of the undergraduate participants planning to pursue a career related to companion animals (n = 197) reported planning to attend veterinary school (75.1%). Others reported planning to attend graduate school for a M.S. (5.6%) or PhD (1.0%). Some students plan to work right after undergraduate graduation (11.7%). Future careers that undergraduate students (n = 197) plan on pursuing include a veterinarian (73.6%), animal training or behavior (5.1%), research (4.6%), nutrition or the pet food industry (4.1%), veterinarian technician (3.6%), or shelter or rescue work (1.5%). Of all participants (n = 287), 48.0% say there are sufficient courses, 28.6% say there are not enough courses offered solely about companion animals, and 23.3% are unsure. According to non-students (n = 25), 19 participants report there is not enough faculty (76%); 1 person is unsure, and 5 feel there is enough companion animal faculty dedicated to teaching. Results indicate that there is room to expand the companion animal educational opportunities at universities across the country to ensure the needs of students are met as they prepare to enter the workforce.