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Animal-Assisted Therapy Major

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Animal-Assisted Therapy

58 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
0 Master's Degrees Annually
#83 in Popularity
$57,680 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many animal-assisted therapy graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 58
Graduate Certificate 14
Associate Degree 10
Basic Certificate 3

What Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, animal-assisted therapy majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to animal-assisted therapy:

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  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors

A major in animal-assisted therapy will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Animal-Assisted Therapy Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with animal-assisted therapy:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors 25.9% $97,370
Therapists 19.9% $50,980

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal-Assisted Therapy?

58 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
95% Percent Women
14% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 95% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of animal-assisted therapy majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 1
Hispanic or Latino 7
White 50
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 0

How Much Do Animal-Assisted Therapy Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Animal-Assisted Therapy majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $57,680 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for an Animal-Assisted Therapy Major  ( 57680 to 122320 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with animal-assisted therapy may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for animal-assisted therapy careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 2.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 4.6%
Bachelor’s Degree 12.5%
Master’s Degree 35.9%
Doctoral Degree 24.9%
Post-Doctoral Training 19.1%

Online Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 14 schools offered some type of animal-assisted therapy program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 0 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 3 0
Bachelor’s Degree 4 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 1 0
Post-Master’s 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Animal-Assisted Therapy Worth It?

The median salary for a animal-assisted therapy grad is $57,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 45% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $355,600 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to animal-assisted therapy.

Major Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist 13,655
Occupational Therapy 9,958
Rehabilitation Science 1,161
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling 1,046
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy 870
Art Therapy 858
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions 837
Music Therapy 665
Orthotist/Prosthetist 335
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering 117
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist 110
Play Therapy 56
Dance Therapy 52
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General 28
Drama Therapy 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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