Animal Behavior Program - major

On campus, you can interact with four different species of monkey, as well as amphibians, bats, bees and more. Your experience studying these animals under the close guidance of our faculty — we only enroll eight to 10 majors per year — will prepare you for a career in the research, veterinary, medical, zoo, museum and education fields.

Recent graduates have found jobs and internships in zoo design, aquarium administration, research, grant-making and nature photography.

Bucknell offers two undergraduate degree options for students majoring in animal behavior: a bachelor of arts program that includes 13 required courses and a bachelor of science program that requires 19 courses. Both are interdisciplinary majors that include subject matter in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and psychology. The programs differ chiefly in the number of advanced science courses and laboratories. The University also offers a master of science in animal behavior.

See detailed major requirements

Student Story

Macy Albaitis '22 chose Bucknell because of our animal behavior program and unrivaled primate lab with four different species: hamadryas baboons, lion-tailed macaques, squirrel monkeys and capuchins.

Bucknell's monkeys have become her research partners as Macy transforms her natural curiosity about animals into noninvasive research projects that advance our understanding of the natural world.

"If you're interested in something, you can just do it," she says. "Like: Oh, I want to know why animals do this. You can set up an experiment to figure out why."

Bucknell is home to one of the most diverse collections of research primates at any collegiate animal behavior program in the U.S. You'll also find bee colonies, amphibians and other research species. Our students interact with these animals under the close supervision of faculty, who observe the animals' behavior to study ecology, social behavior, plant and animal interaction, behavioral endocrinology, animal learning, genetics and more.

204A O’Leary Center