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Zoology Major

Explore the diversity, ecology and organismal biology of animals.

Zoology Major

Explore the diversity, ecology and organismal biology of animals.

Frog sitting in pond.

What will you do as a zoology major?

Do you love animals and aspire to engage with laboratory and field coursework relating to diverse animals, habitats and ecosystems? Then zoology is the right major for you. The zoology major — the only one in the state of Oregon— is housed in the nationally ranked Department of Integrative Biology in the School of Life Sciences. As a zoology major, you will study a broad range of core courses providing a solid foundation in biological sciences as well as elective courses in the diversity, organismal biology, ecology and evolution of animals to match your specific interests.

The zoology program will prepare you well for jobs in a variety of fields, such as animal care and husbandry, curatorial and museum management, field biology and conservation, and environmental management and policy. Students on campus are actively engaged in laboratory and field research, working alongside faculty in a variety of projects, including from the disease ecology of African ungulates to the discoveries of new beetle species in Oregon.

Our department also hosts the nation's first online zoology program where you can receive the same comprehensive content, critical thinking skills and professional development. Our Ecampus students have access to experiential learning opportunities though courses and opportunities ranging from study abroad to internships.

    Karianna Crowder holding a lemur at a zoo.

    "In six days, we treated 767 dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, and horses. I was given the freedom to do the physical exams myself, listening to heart and lung sounds and palpitating lymph nodes.”

    Karianna Crowder ( Zoology '17) worked at a pet clinic in Nicaragua during one of several study abroad programs that she embarked on at OSU.

    Our recent graduates work as:

    • Museum curators
    • Nature center education specialists
    • Federal wildlife biologists
    • Policy analysts for non-governmental organizations
    • Environmental consultants
    • Laboratory technicians
    • Wildlife rehabilitators
    • Biological illustrators
    • Zookeepers

    Sample courses

    • Marine and Estuarine Invertebrate Zoology
    • Monster Biology
    • Environmental Physiology
    • Animal Behavior

    Meet our students and alumni

    Zoology graduate and conservationist engages people through art

    Graduating this year with an online degree in zoology, Zoey Vagner hopes to use her education from Oregon State University to help raise public awareness about science to preserve the world we live in.

    Zoology senior merges cultural identity and scientific curiosity

    A graduating senior in zoology at Oregon State University, Devonte Casey has been deeply inspired by the synergy between his academic pursuits and his identity as a Native American.

    Presidential scholar and zoology major focuses on what many ignore

    A Strawberry Princess who gets excited about roadkill. A valedictorian who doesn’t test well. A photographer who focuses on the unlovely. This is the stuff College of Science presidential scholars are made of.

    A passion for wildlife conservation: Zoologist takes care of a little bit of Africa

    Zoology graduate Molly Cordell ('16) trained and cared for African hooved animals for four years; now working toward career in wildlife conservation.

    Meet a Science Grad: Kaelie Spencer

    Meet alumna Kaelie Spencer, 2016 Zoology major and aquarist at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

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