She attended the University of California in Davis. At college she was in a veterinary program. She transferred schools to San Jose State University after two years. Fossey earned a bachelor degree of arts degree in occupational therapy. She became a very good horseback rider in college. She worked at a hospital in Kentucky for disabled children. Fossey was inspired by a book about mountain gorillas. She decided to travel to Africa to study gorillas. She met Louis Leakey who is a famous anthropologist. Leakey hired Fossey study gorillas for a long time. Fossey observed gorillas for many years. Fossey later earned a PhD from Cambridge College in England. The PhD was for her gorilla research.