Animal physiology is the study of animal functions and bodily processes. Students learn how these functions and processes work. For example, they may study an animal's growth, reproduction, and output of energy.

Got milk? Thanks to the research of animal physiologists, you've got more than ever. Wisconsin cows now produce an average of over 17,000 pounds of milk per year. Milk output keeps increasing, there and in other states as well. This is an economic trend that benefits almost all of us (except for those who are lactose intolerant!). And you can contribute to similar progress in agricultural and veterinary science by studying animal physiology.

When you study this field, you learn about the chemical processes that occur within an animal's body. You learn what stimulates production of hormones, and how those hormones affect the processes in various parts of the body. Obviously the processes that are usually of greatest interest are those that have commercial value. For example, you study what triggers lactation in mammals. You study the processes that contribute to growth of muscle mass. You learn about what makes reproduction succeed or fail. To understand these processes, you need to study biochemistry.

An important purpose of the program is to teach you research skills so that you can make contributions to science. Thus you study experimental design and learn how to use statistical methods to analyze data. You do laboratory research, working up to an original research project that is the basis for your dissertation.

You can take a course in this subject as an undergraduate, but only about 15 colleges offer a major in it. This is a specialization that you need to study in graduate or veterinary school. That means that you first must get a bachelor's degree, which usually requires four years of full-time study beyond high school. Some likely majors are biology or animal science.

Your next step is to enter a graduate program. You can find programs in animal physiology at about 40 graduate or veterinary schools. You are most likely to find this as part of a graduate zoology program. You may also be able to carve out the equivalent program for yourself. You might do this getting a master's and perhaps doctorate in animal science and specializing in physiology. There is a land-grant college offering graduate degrees in agricultural science in your state, just as there is in every state, so check to see whether you can put together such a program there. Another option may be to study this subject in veterinary school. There are about 25 such schools in the U.S., where you often can earn degrees other than just Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

You can expect a master's degree to require two years of full-time study beyond the bachelor's degree. For most jobs in research and college teaching, it is useful to get a doctoral degree, which usually requires an additional three years. It may take longer if you take on part-time work teaching or assisting with research, but such work helps offset costs and looks good on your resume.