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Animal care taker education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an animal care taker. Animal care takers usually study business, medical assisting services, or animal science. 40% of animal care takers hold a high school diploma, and 26% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 322 real animal care taker resumes to see exactly what animal care taker education sections show.
The most common colleges for animal care takers are the New Mexico State University and the New Mexico State University.
There are also many online animal care taker courses to help get the education required to be an animal care taker.
What education do you need to become an animal care taker?
What degree do you need to be an animal care taker?
- High School Diploma, 40%
- Bachelor's, 26%
- Associate, 21%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become an animal care taker?
- Business, 13%
- Animal Science, 8%
- Biology, 8%
- Other Majors, 61%
Most common colleges for animal care takers
| Animal care taker common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New Mexico State University | 9.52% |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 4.76% |
| North Central College | 4.76% |
| SUNY at Buffalo | 4.76% |
| Oregon State University | 4.76% |
Best majors for animal care takers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 13.3% |
| 2 | Medical Assisting Services | 10.0% |
| 3 | Animal Science | 8.3% |
| 4 | Biology | 8.3% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 8.3% |
Best colleges for animal care takers
The best colleges for animal care takers are University of Virginia, New York University, and Case Western Reserve University.
An animal care taker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for animal care takers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become animal care takers.
1. Vermont Technical College
Randolph, VT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,108
Enrollment
1,350
2. North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$9,414
Enrollment
11,182
3. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
4. Saint Francis University
Loretto, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$36,410
Enrollment
1,668
5. Midway University
Midway, KY • Private
In-state tuition
$24,750
Enrollment
1,036
6. Ohio University
Athens, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$12,192
Enrollment
22,072
7. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,306
Enrollment
6,975
8. Becker College
Worcester, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$39,200
Enrollment
1,725
9. Otterbein University
Westerville, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$31,874
Enrollment
2,361
10. Kettering College
Kettering, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$12,960
Enrollment
610
20 best online courses for animal care takers
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1. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
2. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
3. Pet First Aid (Advanced)
Learn essential knowledge and skills to be able to confidently carry out emergency first aid on a pet animal...
4. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
5. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
6. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
7. Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health
Essential skills to manage intense emotions and develop a self-care practice to promote mental health...
8. The Key to Happiness: Self Care
Discover Self Care as a tool for creating positive change in your mental health, behaviours, and well-being...
9. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
10. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
11. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
12. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)
Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...
13. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...
14. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
15. Essential Energy Care for Empaths
Advanced Practices for Sensing, Cleaning and Protecting Your Energy Body...
16. Digital Pet Paintings Using Photoshop
Learn how to turn ordinary photographs of pets and animals into beautiful painted art pieces...
17. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities
A strong argument can be made that the health care field is one of the most information-intensive sectors in the U.S. economy and avoidance of the rapid advances in information technology is no longer an option. Consequently, the study of health care information technology and systems has become central to health care delivery effectiveness. This course covers the modern application of information technology that is critical to supporting the vision and operational knowledge of the health care...
18. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes
COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...
19. Thinking About Care
Although all humans require care to develop and thrive, it is rarely the focus of academic studies. This course enriches learner’s understanding of this critical yet underappreciated facet of their lives by addressing such questions as: What is care? Who has traditionally provided it? How valued is care work? Does money take the care out of care work? In addition to advancing learner’s knowledge of the place of care in modern society and controversies surrounding it, Thinking About Care will...
20. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
Top 10 most affordable universities for animal care takers
The most affordable schools for animal care takers are SUNY Farmingdale, purdue university, and louisiana state university at alexandria.
If the best universities for animal care takers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for animal care takers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
2. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
3. Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, LA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,668
Cost of attendance
14,488
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$9,233
Cost of attendance
18,110
7. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
In-state tuition
$9,283
Cost of attendance
22,243
8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Cost of attendance
13,476
9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Cost of attendance
13,564
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for animal care takers
The hardest universities for animal care takers to get into are University of Virginia, New York University, and Case Western Reserve University.
Some great schools for animal care takers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for animal care takers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions rate
26%
SAT average
1,427
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
4. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,309
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
59%
SAT average
1,367
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
10. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for animal care takers
The easiest schools for animal care takers to get into are AdventHealth University, university of the incarnate word, and pennsylvania state university - shenango.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an animal care taker without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for animal care takers.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Pennsylvania State University - Shenango
Sharon, PA • Private
Admissions rate
75%
SAT average
989
4. Pennsylvania State University - Fayette (The Eberly Campus)
Lemont Furnace, PA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,067
5. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
7. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
8. Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
958
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average animal care taker salary by education level
| Animal care taker education level | Animal care taker salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $24,079 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $27,747 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $25,946 |
Animal care taker education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025