Also called: Zoo CEO, Aquarium President
Leads an entire zoo or aquarium: animals, staff, fundraising, and conservation mission.
Meets donors to fund a new elephant habitat, reviews animal care reports, signs off on a conservation partnership in Madagascar, and talks to the press when a baby giraffe is born.
Estimate; large zoos pay far more than small ones.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Advanced degree in biology, zoology, or nonprofit management plus 15+ years of zoo experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Zoology, Biology, Animal Science, Nonprofit Management.
Growing about average. Very few positions.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with attendance forecasts and fundraising data; leading staff, donors and a conservation mission stays human.
Classes: AP Biology, Business or economics, Speech & debate, AP Environmental Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.