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Animal Scientist

Agriculture

Conduct research in the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals.

AgricultureVeterinary Science

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials.
  2. 2Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public.
  3. 3Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals.
  4. 4Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts.
  5. 5Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes.
  6. 6Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk.
  7. 7Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality.
  8. 8Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics.
  9. 9Crossbreed animals with existing strains or cross strains to obtain new combinations of desirable characteristics.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Scientist
  • Behaviorist
  • Sericulturist
  • Bacteriologist
  • Dairy Scientist
  • Animal Anatomist
  • Animal Biologist
  • Animal Scientist
  • Swine Specialist
  • Animal Geneticist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationDoctoral degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Biology93%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Mathematics83%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • English Language82%

    English

  • Chemistry81%

    Chemistry

  • Food Production77%

    AgricultureHome Science (SRT)

  • Education and Training69%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentRarely

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

75%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Agronomist / Agriculture Officer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Animal Scientists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue