Students in the department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences learn to solve pressing problems in animal care, health, and reproduction, as well as the sustainable development and management of fisheries and aquaculture farms, and in the dynamics of food systems.
With a choice of three distinct undergraduate majors and a variety of interdisciplinary graduate programs, our students learn through hands-on experiences at URI’s campus farms and off-campus field sites. Here you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in a range of emerging fields in animal and veterinary sciences, sustainable food production in terrestrial, aquatic, and marine environments, and in food systems policy and organization.
The URI Difference
Hands-On Learning
As a FAVS student, you’ll have access to hands-on learning in URI’s own excellent research facilities, which include Peckham Farm, coastal laboratories at the Narragansett Bay Campus, and a 54-foot fishing and research vessel for exploration of Narragansett Bay. Many students also choose off-campus internships at nearby sites such as Mystic Aquarium, Roger Williams Park Zoo, and Buttonwood Park Zoo.
Love Your Job
Whether you choose a path in veterinary medicine, animal science, fisheries and aquaculture, or sustainable food production, careers in multiple areas await you. These include positions with large- and small-scale animal and aquaculture farms, fisheries, governmental and non-governmental agencies, zoos, aquariums, shelters, laboratory animal facilities and research labs. Our programs seamlessly transition into a variety of graduate programs.
Dive In
In addition to our undergraduate majors and minors, the department offers a Marine Technical Certificate program that offers you instruction in a range of marine skills such as boat handling, scuba diving, underwater research, equipment maintenance, and more. You’ll gain professional certifications needed for many positions in a variety of marine-related careers.
News
Novel Research Reveals how Beluga Whales Socially Interact via Facial Displays - New research from Justin Richard, assistant professor of animal science, published in Animal Cognition suggests there may be more to those squishy, distinctive heads than previously thought.
Connecting people with animals - Megan Rossilli ’23, worked extensively with chickens while studying animal science and technology at URI, and now she trains sea lions at Mystic Aquarium.