Perceptions of animal welfare and animal welfare curricula offered for undergraduate and graduate students in animal science departments in the United States

Abstract

While perceptions of animal welfare have been assessed in veterinary students and students internationally, there remains a gap in research concerning undergraduate and graduate student perspectives of animal welfare in animal science programs at colleges and universities across the United States. A survey was developed to assess current animal science student perspectives of the importance of animal welfare as part of their education, their knowledge of available educational opportunities, and resources they think should be included in animal welfare curricula. An online survey was distributed to a national listserv of university administrators of animal science programs in the United States. A total of 624 survey responses were statistically summarized. Most respondents were undergraduate students (78.0%, n = 487), between the ages of 18 and 24 (85.9%, n = 536), and female (86.1%, n = 537). Results indicated that despite most respondents not taking an animal welfare course previously (60.7%, n =379), most students strongly agreed that the inclusion of an animal welfare course is an important part of the animal science curriculum (72.0%, n=449), that animal welfare is an important component of their education (63.1%, n =394), and that animal welfare courses would be helpful for their future careers (70.0%, n =437). When asked what attributes would be most important in an animal welfare class, students identified many different types of information and resources. The majority of respondents answered that discussing current hot topics in animal welfare (76.1%, n=475), ethical discussions (76.0%, n=474), and practical, applied questions (75.3%, n=470) were important course components. Suggestions for future research include investigating how animal science student perceptions change before and after taking an animal welfare course and exploring opportunities to expand formal welfare education in animal science departments. Inclusion of animal welfare into the curriculum is critical as many of the students currently enrolled in animal science departments will become the future stakeholders in animal-focused industries.

A Nationwide Survey of Animal Science Students’ Perceptions of Animal Welfare across Different Animal Categories at Institutions in the United States

“…Slightly less than half the students were from a suburban background (287, 46.0%) and 42.3% (264) and 9.9% (62) were from rural and urban backgrounds, respectively. Additionally, as reported in Mijares et al [ 21 ], nearly two-thirds (60.7%, 379) of respondents had not taken an animal welfare course.…”

“…This study was approved by the Colorado State University (CSU) Institutional Review Board (#21-10558H) prior to project initiation. This paper presents data not previously reported from a larger survey described in Mijares et al [ 21 ] for which the methodology is the same.…”

“…The survey was shared at 24 unique higher education institutions across the United States. Detailed demographics are reported by Mijares and others [ 21 ]. In brief, the majority of respondents were undergraduate students (487, 78.0%) with 19.9% (124) enrolled in a graduate program.…”

“…While the disparities between perceptions of animal welfare among individuals and differences in methodologies used for assessing welfare have implications for animal science students in higher education, animal welfare education is not a foundational component of most animal science degree programs. In a survey of graduate and undergraduate students in animal science programs in the United States, Mijares and others [ 21 ] reported the majority of students surveyed had never taken an animal welfare class, and of the top ten land-grant universities in the United States, only six offered animal welfare courses [ 18 ]. Providing formal and extra-curricular opportunities for animal science students to learn about animal welfare is important because these students will likely work in agricultural and animal-related sectors.…”

“…The first iteration of this survey study [ 21 ] was written with a particular emphasis on agricultural animal welfare since agricultural animal production is a major component of the animal science curricula; however, this particular manuscript investigated perceptions of animal welfare across multiple animal categories and industries. The authors recognize that welfare is a critical component of animal care and use in all animal-related industries and thus, that concept is reflected in this manuscript.…”