Poultry science programs teach people how to raise and manage healthy chickens, turkeys, and ducks for eggs or meat. Students learn to apply principles of biology and chemistry to improve productivity. They study animal nutrition and food science. They also learn sanitary handling practices.

Did you know that between 1970 and 1995, poultry consumption in the U.S. rose by over 85 percent? Many of us substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts or ground turkey for meat in our meals because it's lean, healthy, and tastes great. In addition, we now know that egg's high-cholesterol reputation was exaggerated in the past.

Of course, keeping healthy is not necessarily the only reason for our consumption of poultry. Consider Buffalo wings, rotisserie chicken, chicken nuggets and fingers, fried chicken, and even chicken stock, a commonly used ingredient in many dishes. It's no wonder that folks in the field of agriculture have focused on the science of raising poultry and processing the various poultry products that we obviously love so much.

Interested in poultry science but unwilling to help process poultry products? Rest assured that a background in poultry science can also prepare you for careers in avian (bird-related) biochemistry and nutrition, genetics, and breeding products technology. You could also learn to work in marketing or sales in this field.

As a student in this program, you study the anatomy and physiology of poultry. You learn about poultry's digestion and metabolism processes and the diseases that threaten their health. You also study the genetic makeup of these birds. Taking these courses prepares you to learn how to breed poultry effectively and prevent diseases.

After taking these background courses, you learn concepts important to housing and feeding poultry. You study waste management and feed manufacturing techniques. You also learn how to process poultry products, including eggs and meat.

About 25 schools offer poultry science programs where you can earn an associate, a bachelor's, a master's, or a doctoral degree. In general, an associate degree takes about two years of full-time study after high school. You can sometimes transfer course credits to a bachelor's degree program. Otherwise, getting a bachelor's degree typically takes about four years of full-time study and a master's degree about one to two years after that.

A few schools offer doctoral degree programs in poultry science. Other schools combine poultry science with animal science or agriculture in their doctoral degree programs. Whichever route you choose, getting this degree usually takes about three to five years after a master's degree.

In some programs, you can choose to focus on one aspect of poultry science. Possible concentrations include:

• Business
• Management
• Manufacturing
• Pre-Veterinary Medicine