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Reptile keeper education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a reptile keeper. Reptile keepers usually study biology, zoology, or animal science. 64% of reptile keepers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 45 real reptile keeper resumes to see exactly what reptile keeper education sections show.

The most common colleges for reptile keepers are the Santa Fe College and the Santa Fe College.

There are also many online reptile keeper courses to help get the education required to be a reptile keeper.

What education do you need to become a reptile keeper?

What degree do you need to be a reptile keeper?

The most common degree for reptile keepers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of reptile keepers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Associate, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 11%
  • Master's, 7%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a reptile keeper?

You should major in biology to become a reptile keeper. 34% of reptile keepers major in biology. Other common majors for a reptile keeper include zoology and animal science.

Most common colleges for reptile keepers

Reptile keepers often get their degrees at Santa Fe College, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and St. Mary's College of Maryland. Here are the most common colleges for reptile keepers in the US based on their resumes.
Reptile keeper common collegePercentages
Santa Fe College10.00%
Purdue University Fort Wayne10.00%
St. Mary's College of Maryland5.00%
Sweet Briar College5.00%
Saint Xavier University5.00%

Best majors for reptile keepers

Best colleges for reptile keepers

The best colleges for reptile keepers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A reptile keeper with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for reptile keepers. 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 reptile keepers.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for reptile keepers

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1. Paleontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles

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Paleontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles is a four-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of the evolutionary changes that occur when air-breathing terrestrial animals return to water. This course examines the diversity, adaptations, convergence, and phylogenetic relationships of extinct marine reptiles. Students will explore three major groups of marine reptiles: ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs. Watch a preview of the course here:...

2. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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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...

3. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)

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4. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

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Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

5. Palliative Care Always

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Palliative Care Always is a specialization for health care practitioners, patients and caregivers. We’ve designed this specialization to demonstrate how palliative medicine integrates with patient care, and to help you develop primary palliative care skills. Over the next five courses, you will develop skills in symptom management, goals of care and effective communication to improve the quality of life for patients and families suffering with serious illness. Our hope is that you feel...

6. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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Learn important life saving first aid. Treatment of major illness and injuries...

8. Medical Devices Quality Management System - ISO 13485:2016

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Awareness and Application for the requirements of ISO 13485:2016 for Medical Device Development and QMS...

9. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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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. Information Systems Auditing, Controls and Assurance

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The course is awarded The Best Free Online Courses of All Time, and Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 Edition) by Class Central (http://www.classcentral.com). --- Information systems (IS) are important assets to business organizations and are ubiquitous in our daily lives. With the latest IS technologies emerging, such as Big Data, FinTech, Virtual Banks, there are more concerns from the public on how organizations maintain systems’ integrity, such as data privacy, information security, the...

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Learn about the exciting world of Management Information Systems and its impact on the way organisations now function...

12. Java Collections from basics to Advanced

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Data Structure using Java Collection Framework - Including Concurrent Collections, Streams, Generics, Parallel Streams...

13. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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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...

14. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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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...

15. Health Care IT: Challenges and Opportunities

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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...

16. Value-Based Care

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Learners may study at their own pace to take any of the six courses and the Capstone Project course independently (receiving a certificate for each) or collectively for the specialization designation. This specialization is intended for healthcare professionals, faculty, and students pursuing healthcare-related studies to develop an awareness of Value-Based Care reimbursement and operating models. Through six courses and a Capstone project, you will develop an understanding of your individual...

17. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

18. The Business of Health Care

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This Specialization was designed to help you keep pace with the rapidly changing world of health and health care. Through partnership with Wharton and Penn Medicine, you’ll learn from experts in business acumen, health care management, and health care policy to develop the skills you’ll need to successfully navigate the quickly evolving landscape of this fast-growing field.* By the end of this specialization, you will have a strong foundational understanding of the American health care system,...

19. AWS: Data Collection Systems

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AWS: Data Collection Systems Course is the first course of the AWS Certified Data Analytics Speciality Specialization. This Course is designed to describe data collection systems and their characteristics in detail. This course is basically divided into three modules and each module is further segmented by Lessons and Video Lectures. This course facilitates learners with approximately 3:30-4:00 Hours Video lectures that provide both Theory and Hands -On knowledge. Also, Graded and Ungraded Quiz...

20. Survey Data Collection and Analytics

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Top 10 most affordable universities for reptile keepers

The most affordable schools for reptile keepers are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for reptile keepers 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 reptile keepers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for reptile keepers

The hardest universities for reptile keepers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for reptile keepers 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 reptile keepers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for reptile keepers

The easiest schools for reptile keepers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a reptile keeper 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 reptile keepers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

Average reptile keeper salary by education level

According to our data, reptile keepers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $37,310 annually. Reptile keepers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $35,426.
Reptile keeper education levelReptile keeper salary
High School Diploma or Less$33,442
Bachelor's Degree$37,310
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,426

Reptile keeper education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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