Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences - PhD
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About this Degree
The ADVS department conducts a broad range of basic and applied research in the areas of animal reproduction, animal nutrition, livestock and dairy management, animal health and disease, virology, parasitology, toxicology, and molecular genetics. Department facilities include over 30 research laboratories on campus and at local and regional animal research facilities. There are research herds and flocks of beef and dairy cattle, swine, and sheep housed close to the university. Research in the department is funded by a multi-million dollar budget derived from support by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and by substantial outside contracts and grants. Cooperation with other departments and research centers of the university, and with federal collaborators, enhances the ADVS research and graduate programs. Significant in this regard are the university Center for Integrated BioSystems, the Utah State Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratories, the Laboratory Animal Research Center, the Institute for Antiviral Research, and the on-campus USDA Poisonous Plant Laboratory.
Graduate Programs Director: Dr. Lee Rickords
Location: Agricultural Science 248B
Phone: (435) 797-2195
Fax: (435) 797-2118
E-mail: lee.rickords@usu.edu
Financial Assistance
Both departmental and research grant support are available to matriculated graduate students on a competitive basis.
The department funds graduate assistantships, which are available on a competitive basis to matriculated graduate students. Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required to be considered for a departmental assistantship. Applications for graduate assistantships for the following academic year must be submitted by March 1. Students interested in departmental assistantships may contact the graduate programs director.
Acceptance to graduate study in the ADVS department does not constitute a guarantee of financial assistance.
Admission Requirements for this Program
Prior to applying, the potential applicant must have a qualified ADVS faculty member agree to accept them into their laboratory and be their major (supervisory) professor. Contact Dr. Lee Rickords with questions.
Applications are processed when we receive them and are reviewed on an ongoing basis. It is highly recommended that you submit all your materials early in the year because the department will begin accepting the top students in March of each year. If the class is not full, we will continue to review applications throughout the year.
General Requirements
All prospective graduate students must apply through the School of Graduate Studies. Refer to the School of Graduate Studies website for admission requirements. Please note that all applicants must meet the following general admission requirements:
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college
A 3.0 GPA as calculated by the School of Graduate Studies. An official transcript must be sent directly to the School of Graduate Studies from each college or university previously attended (except USU).
Student recommendation request forms (included in application materials) should be used to request three people to submit letters of recommendation directly to the graduate school. Two letters of recommendation should be from faculty from whom you have taken course work.
International Students: Please visit the School of Graduate Studies website for requirements.
Department Requirements
Applicants must secure an ADVS faculty member to be their major professor before being accepted into a graduate program. The department strongly recommends the following:
Applicants for a graduate program in ADVS should have completed a BS undergraduate program with courses similar to the science core of the USU Animal and Dairy Science BS degree. This background includes the following courses and their prerequisites:
Applicants with deficiencies in these areas may be admitted to the graduate program subject to the completion of remedial course work specified by the department. Other preparatory courses may be specified by the student’s supervisory committee.
