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Animal Sciences at Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI · Public · Bachelor's Degree
54 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
57
Optimistic
54
Base Case
50
Pessimistic
Earnings $41,292/yr (22% vs median)
AI Risk High (42% exposed)
Job Market Large (99,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Animal Sciences graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $644K $451K $317K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 10.1x 7.1x 4.9x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 3.7x 2.6x 1.8x
Viable Career Paths 6 of 6 6 of 6 6 of 6
DegreeWorth Score 57 54 50

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$63,952
Out-of-state: $173,488
Median Debt at Graduation
$25,023
7.3 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$59,436
44% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Animal Sciences graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 99,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers $87,980 85,500 -1.3% 37%
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary $86,350 800 +4.1% 50%
Animal scientists $79,120 200 +5.8% 53%
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers $59,330 8,500 +2.5% 28%
Farm and home management educators $58,120 1,100 -2.5% 37%
Agricultural technicians $46,790 2,900 +4.3% 50%

Compare & Explore

Animal Sciences at Other Schools

University of Wisconsin-Platteville ($44,956) South Dakota State University ($44,844) University of Wisconsin-Madison ($44,354) Mississippi State University ($41,464) University of Delaware ($40,317) California State University-Fresno ($40,311) University of Maryland-College Park ($40,209) University of Massachusetts-Amherst ($40,008)

Other Majors at Michigan State University

Computer and Information Sciences, General ($86,192) Computer Engineering ($83,934) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($83,874) Mechanical Engineering ($80,259) Chemical Engineering ($79,023) Materials Engineering ($78,276) Engineering-Related Fields ($76,563) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($75,081)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Animal Sciences at Michigan State University?
This program scores 54/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 57 (optimistic) to 50 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Animal Sciences career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Animal Sciences graduates retain 6 of 6 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $316,556 (pessimistic) to $643,539 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Animal Sciences graduates?
The career paths mapped to Animal Sciences have roughly 99,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Animal Sciences at Michigan State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 7.1x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 4.9x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.