Animal Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The M.S. degree is not a prerequisite but is advantageous for admission to the Ph.D. program. All PhD students must meet the MS coursework requirements either through a completed MS degree in Animal Sciences (US accredited university) and/or by taking additional coursework during their PhD program. PhD candidates must also satisfactory complete a graduate level course in Statistics, typically BIOM 601, and either a course in Research Bioethics or completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) – CITI Program provided through the Division of Research.
At least two credits of Seminar (with at least one in ANSC624 ) and one semester of teaching experience (8-10 hours per week) are required during study for the Ph.D. degree. ANSC624 is required of Ph.D. students even if it was taken while in the MS program. The ANSC seminars will be taken in non-consecutive semesters. In addition, a minimum of 12 research (ANSC899) credits is required.
Advancement to Candidacy: A plan of study must be filed with the approval of the student's Adviser and Advisory Committee (AC) by the end of the second semester and a research proposal by the end of the third semester. After no more than five semesters, the student must pass the Admission to Candidacy Examination, which consists of both written and oral components and is administered by the AC. At the time of advancement, students should have completed at least 80% of their Plan of Study.
Post-Candidacy: Towards the end of their studies, the candidates present the results and conclusions of their graduate research in a public seminar and defend their research in an oral examination, which is adjudicated by the student's AC. In addition to successful defense of the dissertation, it is expected that the student will publish at least one paper in a refereed scientific journal, based on the dissertation research. A final copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Program Office. The Ph.D. degree is usually completed within four to six years.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Two credits of Seminar | 2 | |
| Recent Advances in Animal and Avian Sciences | ||
| Dissertation Research Requirements | ||
| ANSC899 | Doctoral Dissertation Research | 12 |
| Total Credits | 14 | |