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Overview

Can dogs understand human language? Why do birds migrate? Do fish feel pain? These are some questions you’ll seek to answer as an animal behavior and ethology major. Never heard of ethology? Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines it as “the scientific and objective study of animal behavior.” Animal behavior and ethology covers a range of scientific disciplines all concerned with what animals do and the neural mechanisms that enable them to do it.

A major in animal behavior and ethology piles on some serious science; you’ll take classes like anatomy, biology, genetics, neurobiology, neuroscience, behavioral evolution, zoology, and cognition and sensory perception. You’ll use this knowledge to observe and attempt to understand animal sensation, cognition, and behavior. By your junior or senior year, you’ll undertake an independent research project in an area of special interest, such as animal communication or social evolution.