Animal Behavior Studies
About Animal Behavior Studies
Our Program and Courses
By the time you graduate, you will be able to demonstrate:
- A knowledge of the biological and social basis for basic animal behavior.
- A complex understanding of how animals and their environments coexist and rely on one another.
- The ability to understand, perform, and report on the results of experiments and research.
- An eye for identifying areas of research that would benefit from additional support or data, and follow through with collecting that data.
- Critical and analytical thinking and the ability to communicate observations and discoveries through the printed and spoken word.
- The ability to collaborate effectively in a manner that translates to the professional arena.
Learning Outside the Classroom
With the diversity of animal life present across the planet, you’re encouraged to
expand your learning experience beyond F&M’s campus and coursework. With our many
research and study-abroad opportunities, you’ll step outside the structure of the
classroom, go beyond reading textbooks and listening to lectures, and embark on your
own journeys in animal behavior.
Research Opportunities
The hallmark of F&M’s Animal Behavior Studies major is working side-by-side with our
faculty, who are dedicated teachers and active researchers. You’ll find incredible
opportunities to dive into research — including in our on-campus vivarium — to gain
a deeper understanding and appreciation of the challenges of scientifically exploring
the behaviors and minds of animals. Your original research projects may lead to the
presentation of your results at national and international professional conferences
or even your co-authorship in journal publications. Learn more about how our students
at F&M have extraordinary opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led research.
Explore research at F&M
Off-Campus Study
To push the boundaries of the learning experience, students regularly choose to study
abroad. Our students have visited Ireland, Russia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, England,
Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, and Australia.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Honors in Animal Behavior Studies
Completing research or an independent study could also lead you to earn honors in Animal Behavior Studies. To be considered for honors, you must first complete an advanced research project and be sponsored by a professor. Once these steps are complete, you will present your research findings to faculty and students.
Our Facilities
The Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building
The Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building (LSP) gives you access to state-of-the-art
resources for studying animal behavior, including access to the teaching and research
laboratories in animal behavior, behavioral ecology and comparative psychology.
Vivarium
F&M’s Vivarium is a non-invasive behavioral facility that houses a variety of rodents,
reptiles, birds, fish, invertebrates, and nonhuman primates that supports student-focused
learning and scientific research. Students from a wide diversity of backgrounds work
with faculty and Vivarium staff to gain hands-on experience within the fields of positive
reinforcement training, welfare and enrichment, best-practice animal caretaking, and
behavioral observations and research. Our nonhuman primate research centers on behavior
and cognition. We are one of the only institutions in the United States offering direct
access of onsite, nonhuman primates to undergraduate students through an established
program built around primate training, enrichment, behavioral research, and animal
caretaking. In fact, we have an Animal Husbandry & Primate Training Certificate that includes formal academic training designed to develop students’ abilities to
professionally train and care for animals. Over 150 students per year work in the
F&M Vivarium for course credit, as paid researchers, student employees, or as volunteers
throughout the academic year and summer.Success Beyond F&M
Graduate School
Many graduates of our animal behavior program go on to pursue advanced degrees in a variety of disciplines, including veterinary medicine, animal science and animal biosciences. They attended top institutions such as:
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Cornell University
- Columbia University
- Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Rutgers University
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Career Paths
Animal Behavior Studies graduates are prepared to embark on a vast array of careers working directly with animals and engaging in research. They hold positions such as:
- Animal Caretaker
- Animal Husbandry Technician
- Medical Assistant
- Naturalist/Behavioral Ecologist
- Primate Research Assistant
- Research Scientist
- Science Writer
- Veterinarian
- Veterinarian Surgical Assistant
- Zookeeper
Alumni Spotlight
“The coursework for my animal behavior major absolutely transformed the way I think about animals, animal welfare, and conservation.”
Sara Dollen ’23 knew she wanted to work with animals, and originally intended to pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Once she began taking courses in animal behavior, however, she discovered her passion for animal enrichment. “The coursework for my animal behavior major absolutely transformed the way I think about animals, animal welfare, and conservation,” she said. Today, Dollen works as an animal care technician at City Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Washington, D.C. She said she uses the skills she gained from working as the enrichment team leader in F&M's vivarium, including how to effectively design, implement, and continually improve enrichment that keeps animals in captivity happy and healthy. "My greatest post-graduation accomplishment so far, made possible by my time in F&M's vivarium, has been designing an enrichment system for the wildlife center that has had wonderful reception by humans and wildlife patients alike!" Dollen said.Read More »
Alumni Spotlight
“Pursuing the animal husbandry and primate training certificate was a no-brainer.”
F&M’s certificate programs are supplemental educational pathways you can pursue in addition to your major and minor. There are several certificates available at F&M, including Animal Husbandry & Primate Training. Shoshana Frank ’24, an animal behavior major, said, “Pursuing the animal husbandry and primate training certificate was a no-brainer.” Frank said having the opportunity to take courses that supported the work she did in the F&M vivarium was the perfect way to incorporate theory and practice. “The certificate program provides students with an experiential component that builds on the foundational knowledge we gain from our classes,” she said.Read More »
Student Spotlight
“It was clear to me that F&M was an environment that would support the interdisciplinary chaos that I wanted to cause.”
Josh Kulak '25 has always been drawn to the parallels between animal and human experience. That exact sentiment brought him to F&M. “It was clear to me that F&M was an environment that would support the interdisciplinary chaos that I wanted to cause,” said Kulak, an animal behavior major with a keen interest in human rights. “This semester, I literally walk from a 25-person class with one of the foremost scholars on animal welfare, to an eight-person class with the founder of the F&M Global LGBTQ Rights Barometer. You can't get that in other places.”Read More »
Related Fields of Study
Animal Husbandry & Primate Training (Certificate)
Certificates are supplemental educational pathways you can pursue at F&M. Each certificate explores new and innovative fields of study through the lens of two or more fields of study. The Animal Husbandry & Primate Training certificate develops your abilities to care for animals professionally as well as to reflect on your experiences as an element of humans’ relationships with the natural world.
Biology
The biological sciences expand and advance frontiers of knowledge about all forms of life. From molecules to ecosystems, from oceans to deserts, from the distant past to present day, biology gives you insights into other species, ourselves, and our world.
Psychology
Embark on a journey of the mind and learn all about why we do the things we do. From non-human animal behavior to language development and neurological impairment, your time spent studying psychology at F&M will unlock a whole new world of understanding of how the brain works.
Explore Animal Behavior Studies at F&M
August 8, 2024
Success Beyond F&M: A Graduate’s Path to a Career in Animal Behavior
After graduating from F&M with a degree in animal behavior, Gabie Nealon-Shapiro ’23 completed an internship with The Wildcat Sanctuary (TWS). “I am certain F&M was the perfect choice for me to begin to become an animal behaviorist,” she said.
June 20, 2024
Success Beyond F&M: Animal Behavior Major Leads ’23 Grad to Enriching Career
Franklin & Marshall’s distinctive animal behavior program helped Sara Dollen ’23 land a job doing what she loves just weeks after graduating. “I chose F&M in part for the unique animal behavior degree that I felt would prepare me well for any animal-related work,” Dollen said.
April 2, 2024
‘Pursuing the Animal Husbandry and Primate Training Certificate Was a No-Brainer.’
Shoshana Frank has always known that she wanted to pursue a career in an animal-related field. To complement her animal behavior studies major and caretaker duties in F&M’s Vivarium, Frank decided to pursue F&M’s animal husbandry and primate training certificate. “The certificate program provides students with an experiential component that builds on the foundational knowledge we gain from our classes,” she said.