Specializations

All MS specializations are offered as Plan A programs. Animal Management may be taken as a Plan A or Plan B program.

Animal Health and Disease
Animal Management
Animal Molecular Genetics
Animal Nutrition
Reproduction and Development

General Requirements for Plan A and Plan B

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.
The Program of Study for a master’s degree must include at least 18 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above.
Coursework below the 5000 level may not be used toward a graduate degree. Undergraduate prerequisites for graduate programs may not be included on a Program of Study.
Courses numbered 5000-5990 are advanced, upper-division courses and a maximum of 12 credits may be used on an approved program of study.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included on an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 5000.
Audited courses may not be used for a degree program or toward status as a full-time student.
A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated by the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
A student may transfer up to 12 graduate credits earned at another accredited institution, including credits with earned P grades, if approved by the department and the School of Graduate Studies. Credits cannot be from a previous degree.
All graduate students are expected to have a statistics course included in their program of study.

Further MS Plan A Requirements

The Plan A option requires the preparation and defense of a thesis and is best suited for students desiring research experience.
A minimum of 30 credits applied toward a program of study approved by the student’s supervisory committee, including:
- 15 credits minimum of graduate-level coursework (this does not include thesis credits). Under exceptional circumstances, a student may petition for a waiver of the minimum 15-credit requirement of graduate-level coursework
- 6-15 credits of course
- 1 credit of course
course credits shall not exceed 3 credits unless approved by the supervisory committee.
Approved thesis proposal
Approval of academic forms required by the School of Graduate Studies:
- Supervisory committee approval form
- Program of Study form
- Thesis Proposal/Project Approval form
- Appointment for Examination
- Record of Examination
Successful defense of a thesis based on original research
Submission of thesis to the School of Graduate Studies and library for review and approval
Annual ADVS Student Research Symposium participation
Annual meetings with the student and his/her supervisory committee
Submitted Annual Progress Report
Annual lab safety training
RCR training (two parts):
- CITI online training
- 8-hour in-person workshop
Any additional trainings as specified by the student’s major advisor

Further MS Plan B Requirements

The Plan B option requires the preparation and defense of a paper and is best suited for animal science professionals not pursuing a research career path.
A minimum of 30 credits applied toward a program of study approved by the student’s supervisory committee, including:
- 15 credits minimum of graduate-level coursework (this does not include thesis credits)
- 2-3 credits of course
- 1 credit of course
course credits shall not exceed 3 credits unless approved by the supervisory committee.
Approval of academic forms required by the School of Graduate Studies:
- Supervisory committee approval form
- Program of Study form
- Thesis Proposal/Project Approval form (required by the ADVS department)
- Appointment for Examination
- Record of Examination
Successful defense of a Plan B paper
Plan B papers must be submitted directly to the Merrill-Cazier Library and uploaded to DigitalCommons
Annual ADVS Student Research Symposium participation
Annual meetings with the student and his/her supervisory committee
Submitted Annual Progress Report
Annual lab safety training
RCR training (two parts):
- CITI online training
- 8-hour in-person workshop
Any additional trainings as specified by the student’s major advisor

Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences - MS

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Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes