Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-487: Animal Science Series
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-79), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
Use these individual occupational requirements in
conjunction with the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for
Professional and Scientific Positions."
Basic Requirements:
- Degree: animal science, dairy science, poultry science; or a related discipline
or field of animal science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic
biological and agricultural sciences, and 20 semester hours in animal science.
- For animal scientist positions, at least 10 of the required 20 semester
hours in animal science must have been in courses dealing with the
breeding, feeding, production, and management of livestock, and the
care and preparation of their products.
- For dairy scientist positions, at least 10 of the required 20 semester
hours in animal science must have been in dairy science.
- For poultry scientist positions, at least 10 of the required 20 semester
hours in animal science must have been in poultry science.
OR
- Combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major in the
basic biological and agricultural sciences, including a minimum of 20 semester
hours in appropriate animal science subjects, as described in A above, plus
appropriate experience or additional education.
Most universities offering appropriate programs confer degrees in "animal science" rather than in "animal
husbandry," although some universities still confer degrees in "animal husbandry." Therefore, reference
to course work in respective animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, where applicable, may be considered
synonymous with corresponding course work in animal, dairy, or poultry science.
Graduate Education: To be qualifying, graduate study must have been in animal, dairy, or poultry science;
or in a specialized subject-matter area of science directly related to these sciences, such as feeds and
feeding or nutrition, breeding, and development, physiology, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern
of training placed major emphasis on one of the recognized specialized subject-matter areas of animal,
dairy, or poultry science.
Graduate study in related disciplines or fields of science, such as agronomy, microbiology, biochemistry,
biophysics, and dairy, food, or fiber technology (if it dealt with pertinent products or their production)
may also be qualifying, provided the graduate work placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on one of the
recognized fields or subject-matter areas of animal, dairy, or poultry science.
Evaluation of Education: Course work in such subjects as agronomy, animal, dairy, or poultry science,
biology, botany, zoology, microbiology, physiology, genetics, and biochemistry may be used to meet the
general 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic biological and agricultural sciences.
Course work in such subjects as zoology, embryology, animal breeding or genetics, physiology,
biochemistry, and any phase of animal, dairy, or poultry science may be used to meet the 20-semester-hour
requirement in animal science.
Course work in animal science includes those subjects dealing with the specific kinds and classes of
livestock, e.g., cattle, swine, sheep, or fur bearers, their breeding and development, nutrition,
management, and utilization; and the qualities and uses of their products, e.g., meat, wool, or leather.
Course work in dairy science includes those subjects dealing with the specific kinds and classes of dairy
animals; their nutrition and management; the utilization of their products; and courses dealing with the
establishment of lineages, various phases of a dairy operation, milk quality, etc.
Course work in poultry science includes those subjects dealing with the kinds and classes of poultry; their
breeding and development; the establishment of specific strains; their nutrition and management; the
utilization of their products; and courses dealing with specific areas peculiar to poultry science, such as
genetic or environmental factors, or rearrangement of cycles.
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