Animal Behavior Programs

The scientific study of animal behavior, which is also known as ethology, is a subspecialty of zoology, and also a possible specialization for psychology majors. Aspects of sexuality, communication, emotions, learning, and culture, are all explored in detail for those with an interest in the animal community.

Walden University

Featured Programs:
BS in Psychology - Graduate School Prep

Southern New Hampshire University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology/Child & Adolescent Development (Online)

With all the various animal species out there, the specialization options are limitless. For anyone, who loves animals, or is at least fascinated by them, this profession can be a personally fulfilling one. Before pursuing this pathway, however, it helps to know what one is getting himself in to with regards to employment possibilities, salary expectation, and job description.

Useful Animal Behavior Resources

• Animal Behavior Society and Education
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes
• Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research

Capella University

Featured Programs:
MS in General Psychology (Online)
MS in Child and Adolescent Development

Post University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology (Online)

Animal Behavior Methods of Operation

Most animal behavior specialists gravitate towards behavior rather than individual animals, but the variety of animals out there offer endless possibility. If an animal behavior specialist wants to study love in the animal population, he generally looks at displays of what could be perceived as love in a variety of different creatures.

These professionals tend to work both in laboratories and in the field. They observe animals in both controlled and natural habitats to get both an overview and a distinction in the ways that animals relate to one another. An example of animal behavior experimentation could be the famous case of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs.

While Pavlov's experiment was more about classical conditioning, he revealed how animal behaviors can manifest themselves around certain emotions. The experiment, in which he conditioned his dogs to associate a bell ring with feeding, showed how dogs could express internal feelings through outward emotions.

Kaplan University

Featured Programs:
BS Psychology (Online)

Northcentral University

Featured Programs:
MA in Health Psychology (Online)

Careers in Animal Behavior

An animal behavior degree can open up exciting employment opportunities that one may not typically think about. From pet training to industrial-organizational research, one can find many ways to use this degree. Psychologists, who specialize in animal behavior, can earn a wide spectrum of salaries from mid-$50,000 range in rural areas to $80,000 or more in metropolitan and organizational employment. Ultimately, employer and placement will set the course for jobs availability and pay.

Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Featured Programs:
MA in Applied Forensic Psychology (Online)

Animal Behavior Education and Training

The amount of education and training that one will need to work in this profession largely depends on the type of job one is trying for. Pet trainers may have limited education, but still make a good salary if they are good at what they do. In the field of animal behavior, it is largely based on state licensing criteria and the employer, though one can certainly become more marketable with a doctorate degree.