Graduate Programs in Animal & Dairy Sciences
College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dr. Vance Watson, Dean
Dr. Walter Taylor, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
Dr. Terry E. Kiser, Department Head
Dr. Peter Ryan, Graduate Coordinator
4025 Wise Center
PO Box 9815
Mississippi State University, MS 39762
662-325-2802
pryan@ads.msstate.edu
The Animal and Dairy Science program offers graduate study toward the Master of Science (thesis and non-thesis options) in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Science. Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs in Animal Nutrition; Food Science; Animal Physiology; and Genetics are also available through the interdepartmental programs (refer to the specific interdepartmental programs elsewhere in the Graduate Bulletin for program-specific guidelines in addition to those listed here).
Admission Criteria—A minimum of 3.00 GPA is required. Individual faculty serving as major professors may have additional requirements for students they advise. Therefore, it is advisable that a prospective student contact faculty with whom he/she is interested in working to determine if they have additional admission requirements (i.e. GRE score, etc.). An international applicant is required to have a 575 TOEFL score.
Program of Study—The program of study is developed by the student and his/her major professor with approval by the student’s graduate committee and in accordance with the guidelines of the Office of the Graduate School.
Provisional Admission—Provisional admission requirements may be indicated by the student’s major professor or imposed by the Office of the Graduate School in accordance with University admission policies.
Academic Performance—The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences adheres to the academic performance standards of the Office of the Graduate School and CALS. Students are referred to these criteria for provisional admission, contingent admission, academic performance, and dismissal policies.
Prerequisite and Core Courses—For the M.S. degree in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences, the student must have completed or will be required to complete in addition to the graduate course work, the following courses: Animal Breeding, Animal Nutrition, Animal Reproduction, Meats Processing, and an animal production species-specific course, or equivalent course work, at the undergraduate or graduate level. For M.S. candidates in both the thesis and non-thesis options in Animal and Dairy Science, core courses as part of the program of study must include ST 8114, a graduate level biochemistry course (three hours minimum), and a graduate level physiology course (preferably PHY/ADS 6000 or 8000 level).
Completion Requirements—M.S. thesis and Ph.D. candidates are required by the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences to submit a written proposal of the intended research area during the first year of the graduate program, in addition to the submission of an annual progress report of research, teaching, extension and service activities, and a final written and oral presentation of the thesis or dissertation work. For the non-thesis M.S. program, students are required to complete 30 hours of coursework as approved by their graduate committee, write a scholarly research paper (the topic and content to be approved by the student’s graduate committee), and complete an oral examination based on their coursework. For a Ph.D. candidate, an oral and written preliminary/comprehensive examination will be administered by the student’s graduate committee in accordance with the Office of the Graduate School guidelines prior to the submission or defense of dissertation research.
