Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences

Division Chair: Merrill T. Oshant, M.S. · Barn Complex B, Office 3 · ext. 2410

The Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences offers instruction in the care, handling, conditioning, and commercial production of a range of animal species and agricultural commodities. Work in the division spans reptile husbandry and behavioral conditioning, equine management and hoof care, small mammal nuisance control, snail cultivation, and field-based bird deterrence. Programs are located in Barn Complex B, the Reptile House, and Pasture 4, and some instruction takes place at off-campus cooperating facilities.

At the associate degree level, the division offers the A.A.S. in Herpetological Handling and Behavioral Conditioning and the A.A.S. in Equine and Asinine Husbandry. The herpetology program prepares graduates for positions in zoological facilities, private collections, and exotic veterinary practice. The equine program covers breeding management, foaling, nutrition, hoof care, and stable operations, and includes a required 240-hour field placement. Technical certificates address more focused occupational areas: Mounted Patrol Equine Conditioning serves agency-sponsored animals entering municipal service, Gastropod Cultivation covers commercial snail production to European market standards, and Sciurid and Small Mammal Nuisance Control prepares graduates for the Ohio Commercial Nuisance Wild Animal Control Operator examination. The Short-Term Certificate in Avian Deterrence Field Operations is a clock-hour program delivered primarily at an off-campus agricultural site.

Facilities reflect the range of species and conditions encountered in the programs. Barn Complex B houses equine instruction and the division administrative offices. The Reptile House provides the controlled enclosure environments required for squamate husbandry coursework, including quarantine space and conditioning areas used throughout the herpetology sequence. Pasture 4 supports the equine programs and mounted patrol conditioning work, which requires extended outdoor sessions across varied footing and environmental conditions.

Several programs intersect with Ohio occupational licensing. Graduates of the Sciurid and Small Mammal Nuisance Control program are prepared to sit for the Ohio Commercial Nuisance Wild Animal Control Operator examination, which is administered and fees are set by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. The Herpetological Handling and Behavioral Conditioning program operates under the College's Class A wild animal propagation permit. The Mounted Patrol Equine Conditioning program does not confer rider certification; candidates seeking mounted patrol rider qualifications are directed to the Division of Investigative and Protective Services.

Programs

Suspended and teach-out programs are not accepting applications. Enrolled students are taught out under the published teach-out plan, available from the Registrar. Programs approved by the Board of Trustees and pending accreditor action are listed separately at Proposed Programs.