phd animal science usa

Graduate Program

Research and study toward advanced degrees in animal science..

The Penn State Graduate Program in Animal Science offers master’s and doctoral degrees in the animal sciences at the University Park campus. Our degree programs are designed to provide the knowledge, training, and perspectives students need to take leadership roles in government, education, and industry. Disciplines include management, breeding and genomics, growth and development biology, meat science, nutrition, and nutritional, lactational, and reproductive physiology.

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Animal Sciences

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Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Sciences

This program is one of the top-ranked animal sciences programs in the nation. You will work with world leaders in animal nutrition, reproduction, genetics, and bioinformatics to solve global human health challenges. Our faculty advisors will mentor you and customize a curriculum that aligns with your professional objectives. Areas of academic specialization include:

• Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics
• Immunophysiology and Behavior
• Meat Science and Muscle Biology
• Microbiology
• Production and Environmental Management
• Reproductive Biology

Courses cover the theory and quantitative methods upon which advanced research and teaching in animal sciences is based. Many specialty area courses presume the knowledge gained in courses taken previously. Most students complete the course requirements during the first two years, leaving the subsequent years for dissertation research and writing. 

Graduates with a Ph.D. in Animal Sciences are equipped for positions in foundational and applied animal sciences at universities and colleges, with government agencies, and in agricultural and biotechnology industries. Areas of professional employment include:

• Animal Behavior
• Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Animal Welfare
• Bioinformatics
• Biomedical Research
• Feed and Animal Nutrition
• Food Animal Production and Management
• Pet Products and Services
• Veterinary Medicine

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Course Catalog

• Animal Sciences, PhD

for the Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Sciences

The Department of Animal Sciences offers graduate work leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Fields of specialization include:

• animal breeding, genetics, and bioinformatics
• animal behavior
• biochemistry
• environmental physiology
• immunobiology
• meat science and muscle biology
• microbiology
• systems of animal management and production, precision management
• physiology of lactation
• physiology of reproduction

Beef and dairy cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, swine, and companion and laboratory animals are available for study. Experience in teaching, extension, or outreach is encouraged as part of the academic work.

Admission Candidates for admission to the Ph.D. program must have a bachelor’s or Master's degree from an accredited institution equivalent to those from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher (A = 4.0) for the last two years of undergraduate work and for any graduate study is required for admission. Candidates for admission that have a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99 can request special consideration of the application materials submitted. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are not required for admission. English proficiency requirements for admission follow Graduate College requirements. Application materials include baccalaureate degree transcripts, a resume, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. Admission is possible for fall (mid-August), spring (mid-January), and summer (mid-June) semesters. Candidates for admission are encouraged to submit the complete application package no later than 2 months before the start of the desired admission semester.

For additional details and requirements refer to the department's  Graduate Handbook  and the  Graduate College Handbook . 

Entering with an approved Master's Degree

Students must pass preliminary and final examinations administered by committees appointed by the dean of the Graduate College.

Other Requirements

Entering with an approved baccalaureate degree

Students must pass a qualifier examination and preliminary and final examinations administered by committees appointed by the dean of the Graduate College.

Students enrolled in this baccalaureate to Doctor of Philosophy program will not be granted automatically a Masters in Animal Sciences degree. Students enrolled in the baccalaureate to Doctor of Philosophy that wish to receive a Masters degree will be transferred to the Masters in Animal Sciences program and will be expected to fulfill the requirements to secure a Masters degree. Students that secure a Masters in Animal Sciences can be transferred to the Doctor of Philosophy program.

The recipient of a Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Sciences will demonstrate:

• Graduate-level understanding of advanced concepts and approaches in the area of animal science specialization. The advanced concepts will enable the graduate to secure a leadership position in industry or government agencies or a professor position in academia and to advance throughout the professional ranks.
• ability to formulate hypotheses and research objectives, to use appropriate materials, methods, and advanced data analysis approaches, and to evaluate the results; and
• leadership on the implementation of the scientific method and research activities, interpretation of findings, and identification of implications.
• Ability to effectively communicate advanced disciplinary knowledge and dissertation research findings in oral and written formats.
• Aptitude to lead interdisciplinary research and education efforts to improve food security, food safety, animal and human health and well-being or environmental stewardship.

Graduate Degree Programs in Animal Sciences

Graduate Majors:

• Animal Sciences, MANSC
• Animal Sciences, MS

Graduate Concentrations:

• Bioinformatics: Animal Sciences, MS

Animal Sciences Department Head: Rodney Johnson Director of Graduate Studies: Sandra Rodriguez Zas Animal Sciences Department website Animal Sciences Department Faculty ​ 110 Animal Sciences Laboratory, 1207 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801 (217) 333-3131 Animal Sciences email

College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences webpage

Admissions Grad College Admissions & Requirements

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2023-2024 Catalog (PDF)

A copy of the full 2023-2024 catalog.

​Animal Sciences Graduate Program 

Welcome to the department of animal sciences graduate program.

Our Research and Networks

Our   faculty   are passionate about the success of graduate students and are continually seeking opportunities to help students excel in research, teaching, and extension and outreach. Our full-time career advisor/coordinator is dedicated to enabling leadership development, professionalism, networking and job search activities for our graduate students. Our current graduate students connect with graduate  alumni and others in industry, academia, and government on career opportunities  and tools for success. Our research is connected across campus and around the world. Many of our faculty and students are involved in interdisciplinary graduate programs, such as the   Interdepartmental Nutrition Program (INP)   and   Purdue University Life Sciences (PULSe) , which provide students with exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Our research programs utilize laboratory based research as well as research at animal facilities both on and off campus, including the   USDA Livestock Behavior Research Unit .

  The department's research topics fall into these major areas:

• Animal Behavior and Well-being
• Animal Production and Management
• Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Meat Science and Food Safety
• Neuroscience
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Our Mission

We are dedicated to improving animal product quality as well as animal welfare. Toward this end, we have identified four Grand Challenges within the field that we seek to address:

• Increasing efficiency of production
• Improving quality of animal products
• Understanding, defining, and advancing animal welfare
• Reducing environmental impacts without diminishing production

Other Information

• Application Requirements
• M.S. and Ph.D. Positions  
• How to Apply

For more information about the graduate program, visit the   Animal Sciences Graduate Program page .

We look forward to receiving your application. If you have further questions, please contact  Fawne Richert frricher @purdue.edu .

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.

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Texas A&M University Catalogs

Doctor of philosophy in animal science.

The Department of Animal Science offers graduate degree programs leading to the Master of Agriculture, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Animal Science. Faculty expertise exists for a focus on genetics, breeding, physiology, reproduction, nutrition, biochemistry, physiology, environment, management, microbiology, meat science and further processed meats, and marketing for all livestock species. Continual growth in the animal science industry requires students with technical knowledge/expertise to manage a successful animal agriculture-based enterprise.

Laboratories available for graduate research include animal well-being cytogenetics, genomics, food technology, meat science, nutrition, molecular biology and reproductive physiology. The Robert Justus Kleberg, Jr. Animal and Food Science Center provides 39 laboratories for research and graduate training. Special equipment available in these laboratories or in readily accessible facilities, such as at the Computing Services Center, offer a wide array of opportunities for study and research. Dairy, beef, horse and swine herds and sheep and goat flocks at the main station or at research centers afford opportunities to study various problems in physiology, breeding, management, nutrition and production. The Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center, equipped to fabricate and process all meat foods on a semi-commercial scale, is available for research problems. Texas A&M AgriLife Research projects in all subject matter fields offer opportunities for graduate students to participate in current research activities.

A major objective of the Department is to offer degree programs that provide knowledge, skills and training to gain employment in research, teaching, extension, or industrial operations. Our goal is to develop critical thinkers and problems solvers to bridge the gap between fundamental animal science research and its practical application to the production of livestock and their products.

Doctor of Philosophy

The training of competent future animal science researchers, operators, educators, and leaders is essential to discover and disseminate new knowledge, information, and technologies that sustain animal agriculture production systems to meet world animal protein demands. A comprehensive, multidisciplinary, competency- based curriculum is the cornerstone of the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science Graduate Training Program and allows each student to work with their graduate committee in order to design a degree and research plan that best meets their long-term objectives.  The final basis for granting the degree shall be the candidate’s grasp of the subject matter of Animal Science and a demonstrated ability to do independent research. In addition, the candidate must have acquired the ability to express thoughts clearly and convincingly in both oral and written form. The degree is not granted solely for the completion of coursework, residence and technical requirements, although these must be met. This program is designed to train, develop and educate future cohorts of trained animal scientists well equipped to address national and international challenges facing animal agriculture.

Steps to Fulfill a Doctoral Program

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee

Degree Plan

Transfer of credit, research proposal.

• Preliminary Examination

Preliminary Examination Format

Preliminary examination scheduling, report of preliminary examination, failure of the preliminary examination, retake of failed preliminary examination.

• Final Examination

Report of Final Examination

Dissertation, student’s advisory committee.

After receiving admission to graduate studies and enrolling, the student will consult with the head of his or her major or administrative department (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty) concerning appointment of the chair of the advisory committee. The student’s advisory committee will consist of  no fewer than four members of the graduate faculty  representative of the student’s several fields of study and research, where the chair or co-chair must be from the student’s department (or intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), and  at least one or more of the members must have an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department . The outside member for a student in an interdisciplinary degree program must be from a department different from the chair of the student’s committee.

The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee. Only graduate faculty members located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other Texas A&M University graduate faculty members located off-campus may serve as a member or co-chair (but not chair), with a member as the chair.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee voluntarily leaves the University and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role, the student is responsible for securing a current member of the University Graduate Faculty, from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site, to serve as the co-chair of the committee. The Department Head or Chair of Intercollegiate faculty may request in writing to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School that a faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence or has voluntarily separated from the university, be allowed to continue to serve in the role of chair of a student’s advisory committee without a co-chair for up to one year. The students should be near completion of the degree. Extensions beyond the one year period can be granted with additional approval of the Dean.

The committee members’ signatures on the degree plan indicate their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Although individual committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, a committee cannot resign  en masse . The chair of the committee, who usually has immediate supervision of the student’s research and dissertation or record of study, has the responsibility for calling all meetings of the committee. The duties of the committee include responsibility for the proposed degree plan, the research proposal, the preliminary examination, the dissertation or record of study and the final examination. In addition, the committee, as a group and as individual members, is responsible for counseling the student on academic matters, and, in the case of academic deficiency, initiating recommendations to the Graduate and Professional School.

The student’s advisory committee will evaluate the student’s previous education and degree objectives. The committee, in consultation with the student, will develop a proposed degree plan and outline a research problem which, when completed, as indicated by the dissertation (or its equivalent for the degree of Doctor of Education or the degree of Doctor of Engineering), will constitute the basic requirements for the degree. The degree plan must be filed with the Graduate and Professional School prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college and no later than 90 days prior to the preliminary examination.

This proposed degree plan should be submitted through the online Document Processing Submission System located on the website  http://ogsdpss.tamu.edu . A minimum of 64 hours is required on the degree plan for the Doctor of Philosophy for a student who has completed a master’s degree. A student who has completed a DDS/DMD, DVM or a MD at a U.S. institution is also required to complete a minimum of 64 hours. A student who has completed a baccalaureate degree but not a master’s degree will be required to complete a 96-hour degree plan. Completion of a DDS/DMD, DVM or MD degree at a foreign institution requires completion of a minimum of 96 hours for the Doctor of Philosophy. A field of study may be primarily in one department or in a combination of departments. A degree plan must carry a reasonable amount of 691 (research). A maximum of 9 hours of 400-level undergraduate courses may be used toward meeting credit-hour requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy.

Additional coursework may be added by petition to the approved degree plan by the student’s advisory committee if it is deemed necessary to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation. No changes can be made to the degree plan once the student’s Request for Final Examination is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Approval to enroll in any professional course (900-level) should be obtained from the head of the department (or Chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable) in which the course will be offered before including such a course on a degree plan.

No credit may be obtained by correspondence study, by extension or for any course of fewer than three weeks duration.

For non-distance degree programs, no more than four courses may be taken by distance education without approval of the Graduate and Professional School and no more than 50 percent of the non-research credit hours required for the program may be completed through distance education courses.

To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. This limitation also applies to joint degree programs. 

Courses for which transfer credits are sought must have been completed with a grade of B or greater and must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Graduate and Professional School. These courses must not have been used previously for another degree. Except for officially approved cooperative doctoral programs, credit for thesis or dissertation research or the equivalent is not transferable. Credit for “internship” coursework in any form is not transferable. Courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater will be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution. Credit for coursework taken by extension is not transferable. Coursework  in which no formal grades are given or in which grades other than letter grades (A or B) are earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.) is not accepted for transfer credit . Credit for coursework submitted for transfer from any college or university must be shown in semester credit hours, or equated to semester credit hours.

Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for graduate credit. If the course to be transferred was taken prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.

Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA. An official transcript from the university at which transfer courses are taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

The general field of research to be used for the dissertation should be agreed on by the student and the advisory committee at their first meeting, as a basis for selecting the proper courses to support the proposed research.

As soon thereafter as the research project can be outlined in reasonable detail, the dissertation research proposal should be completed. The research proposal should be approved at a meeting of the student’s advisory committee, at which time the feasibility of the proposed research and the adequacy of available facilities should be reviewed. The approved proposal, signed by all members of the student’s advisory committee, the head of the student’s major department (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School at least 20 working days prior to the submission of the Request for the Final Examination.

Compliance issues must be addressed if a graduate student is performing research involving human subjects, animals, infectious biohazards and recombinant DNA. A student involved in these types of research should check with the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety at (979) 458-1467 to address questions about all research compliance responsibilities. Additional information can also be obtained on the website  http:// rcb.tamu.edu .

Examinations

Preliminary examination for doctoral students.

The student’s major department (or chair of the interdisciplinary degree program faculty, if applicable) and his or her advisory committee may require qualifying, cumulative or other types of examinations at any time deemed desirable. These examinations are entirely at the discretion of the department and the student’s advisory committee.

The preliminary examination is required. The preliminary examination for a doctoral student shall be given no earlier than a date at which the student is within 6 credit hours of completion of the formal coursework on the degree plan (i.e., all coursework on the degree plan except 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695, 697, 791, or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the course catalog). The student should complete the Preliminary Examination no later than the end of the semester following the completion of the formal coursework on the degree plan.

The objective of preliminary examination is to evaluate whether the student has demonstrated the following qualifications:

a.     a mastery of the subject matter of all fields in the program;

b.     an adequate knowledge of the literature in these fields and an ability to carry out bibliographical research;

c.     an understanding of the research problem and the appropriate methodological approaches.

The format of the preliminary examination shall be determined by the student’s department (or interdisciplinary degree program, if applicable) and advisory committee, and communicated to the student in advance of the examination. The exam may consist of a written component, oral component, or combination of written and oral components.

The preliminary exam may be administered by the advisory committee or a departmental committee; herein referred to as the examination committee.

Regardless of exam format, a student will receive an overall preliminary exam result of pass or fail. The department (or interdisciplinary degree program, if applicable) will determine how the overall pass or fail result is determined based on the exam structure and internal department procedures. If the exam is administered by the advisory committee, each advisory committee member will provide a pass or fail evaluation decision.

Only one advisory committee substitution is allowed to provide an evaluation decision for a student’s preliminary exam, and it cannot be the committee chair.

If a student is required to take, as a part of the preliminary examination, a written component administered by a department or interdisciplinary degree program, the department or interdisciplinary degree program faculty must:

a.     offer the examination at least once every six months. The departmental or interdisciplinary degree program examination should be announced at least 30 days prior to the scheduled examination date.

b.     assume the responsibility for marking the examination satisfactory or unsatisfactory, or otherwise graded, and in the case of unsatisfactory, stating specifically the reasons for such a mark.

c.     forward the marked examination to the chair of the student’s advisory committee within one week after the examination.

Prior to commencing any component of the preliminary examination, a departmental representative or the advisory committee chair will review the eligibility criteria with the student, using the Preliminary Examination Checklist to ensure the student is eligible for the preliminary examination. The following list of eligibility requirements applies.

Student is registered at Texas A&M University for a minimum of one semester credit hour in the long semester or summer term during which any component of the preliminary examination is held. If the entire examination is held between semesters, then the student must be registered for the term immediately preceding the examination.

An approved degree plan is on file with the Graduate and Professional School prior to commencing the first component of the examination.

Student’s cumulative GPA is at least 3.000.

Student’s degree plan GPA is at least 3.000.

At the end of the semester in which at least the first component of the exam is given, there are no more than 6 hours of coursework remaining on the degree plan (except 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 693, 695, 697, 791, or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the course catalog). The head of the student’s department (or Chair of the Interdisciplinary Degree Program, if applicable) has the authority to approve a waiver of this criterion.

Credit for the preliminary examination is not transferable in cases where a student changes degree programs after passing a preliminary exam.

If a written component precedes an oral component of the preliminary exam, the chair of the student’s examination committee is responsible for making all written examinations available to all members of the committee. A positive evaluation of the preliminary exam by all members of a student’s examination committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on his or her preliminary exam.

The student’s department will promptly report the results of the Preliminary Examination to the Graduate and Professional School via the Report of Doctoral Preliminary Examination form. The Preliminary Examination checklist form must also be submitted. These forms should be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School within 10 working days of completion of the preliminary examination.

The Report of the Preliminary Examination form must be submitted with original signatures of the approved examination committee members. If an approved examination committee member substitution (one only) has been made, that signature must also be included, in place of the committee member, on the form submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. The original signature of the department head is also required on the form.

After passing the required preliminary oral and written examinations for a doctoral degree, the student must complete the final examination within four years of the semester in which the preliminary exam is taken. Exams taken in between terms will expire at the end of the term that ended prior to the exam. For example, a preliminary exam taken and passed during the fall 2019 semester will expire at the end of the fall 2023 semester. A preliminary exam taken in the time between the summer and fall 2019 semesters will expire at the end of the summer 2023 semester.

First Failure

Upon approval of a student’s examination committee (with no more than one member dissenting), and approval of the Department and Graduate and Professional School, a student who has failed a preliminary examination may be given one re-examination. In accordance with Student Rule 12.5, the student’s department head or designee, intercollegiate faculty, or graduate advisory committee should make a recommendation to the student regarding their scholastic deficiency.

Second Failure

Upon failing the preliminary exam twice in a doctoral program, a student is no longer eligible to continue to pursue the PhD in that program/major. In accordance with Student Rule 12.5.3 and/or 12.5.4, the student will be notified of the action being taken by the department as a result of the second failure of the preliminary examination.

Adequate time must be given to permit a student to address inadequacies emerging from the first preliminary examination. The examination committee must agree upon and communicate to the student, in writing, an adequate time-frame from the first examination (normally six months) to retest, as well as a detailed explanation of the inadequacies emerging from the examination. The student and committee should jointly negotiate a mutually acceptable date for this retest.  When providing feedback on inadequacies, the committee should clearly document expected improvements that the student must be able to exhibit in order to retake the exam.  The examination committee will document and communicate the time-frame and feedback within 10 working days of the exam that was not passed.

Final Examination for Doctoral Students

The candidate for the doctoral degree must pass a final examination by deadline dates announced in the “Graduate and Professional School Calendar” each semester. The doctoral student is allowed only one opportunity to take the final examination.

No unabsolved grades of D, F, or U for any course can be listed on the degree plan. The student must be registered for any remaining hours of 681, 684, 690, 691, 692, 791 or other graduate courses specifically designated as S/U in the course catalog during the semester of the final exam. No student may be given a final examination until they have been admitted to candidacy and their current official cumulative and degree plan GPAs are 3.00 or better.

To be admitted to candidacy for a doctoral degree, a student must have:

1.       completed all formal coursework on the degree plan with the exception of any remaining 681, 684, 690 and 691, 692 (Professional Study), or 791 hours,

2.       a 3.0 Graduate GPA and a Degree Plan GPA of at least 3.0 with no grade lower than C in any course on the degree plan,

3.       passed the preliminary examination,

4.       submitted an approved dissertation proposal,

5.       met the residence requirements.

The request to hold and announce the final examination must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School a minimum of 10 working days in advance of the scheduled date. Any changes to the degree plan must be approved by the Graduate and Professional School prior to the submission of the request for final examination.

The student’s advisory committee will conduct this examination. The final examination is not to be administered until the dissertation or record of study is available in substantially final form to the student’s advisory committee, and all concerned have had adequate time to review the document.  Whereas the final examination may cover the broad field of the candidate’s training, it is presumed that the major portion of the time will be devoted to the dissertation and closely allied topics. Persons other than members of the graduate faculty may, with mutual consent of the candidate and the chair of the advisory committee, be invited to attend a final examination for an advanced degree. A positive vote by all members of the graduate committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on his or her exam. A department can have a stricter requirement provided there is consistency within all degree programs within a department. Upon completion of the questioning of the candidate, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings.

The student’s department will promptly report the results of the Final Examination to the Graduate and Professional School via the Report of Doctoral Final Examination form. These forms should be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School within 10 working days of completion of the final examination. The Graduate and Professional School must be notified in writing of any cancellations.

A positive evaluation of the final exam by all members of a student’s advisory committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on his or her final exam. The Report of the Final Examination Form must be submitted with original signatures of only the committee members approved by the Graduate and Professional School. If necessary, multiple copies of the form may be submitted with different committee member original signatures. If an approved committee member substitution (1 only) has been made, his/her signature must be included on the form submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.

The ability to perform independent research must be demonstrated by the dissertation,  which must be the original work of the candidate . Whereas acceptance of the dissertation is based primarily on its scholarly merit, it must also exhibit creditable literary workmanship. The format of the dissertation must be acceptable to the Graduate and Professional School. Guidelines for the preparation of the dissertation are available in the  Thesis Manual , which is available online at  https://grad.tamu.edu .

After successful defense and approval by the student’s advisory committee and the head of the student’s major department (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), a student must submit his/her dissertation in electronic format as a single PDF file. The PDF file must be uploaded to the website,  https://grad.tamu.edu . Additionally, a signed paper approval form with original signatures must be received by the Graduate and Professional School. Both the PDF file and the signed approval form are required by the deadline.

Deadline dates for submitting are announced each semester or summer term in the Graduate and Professional School Calendar (see Time Limit statement). These dates also can be accessed via the website  https://grad.tamu.edu .

Each student who submits a document for review is assessed a one-time thesis/dissertation processing fee through Student Business Services. This processing fee is for the thesis/dissertation services provided. After commencement, dissertations are digitally stored and made available through the Texas A&M Libraries.

A dissertation that is deemed unacceptable by the Graduate and Professional School because of excessive corrections will be returned to the student’s department head or chair of the intercollegiate faculty . The manuscript must be resubmitted as a new document, and the entire review process must begin anew. All original submittal deadlines must be met during the resubmittal process in order to graduate.

Additional Requirements

Continuous registration, admission to candidacy.

• 99-Hour Cap on Doctoral Degree

Application for Degree

A student who enters the doctoral degree program with a baccalaureate degree must spend one academic year plus one semester in resident study at Texas A&M University. A student who holds master’s degree when he/she enters doctoral degree program must spend one academic year in resident study. One academic year may include two adjacent regular semesters or one regular semester and one adjacent 10-week summer semester. The third semester is not required to be adjacent to the one year. Enrollment for each semester must be a minimum of 9 credit hours each to satisfy the residence requirement. A minimum of 1 credit hour must be in a non-distance education delivery mode. Semesters in which the student is enrolled in all distance education coursework will not count toward fulfillment of the residence requirement.

To satisfy the residence requirement, the student must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester or 10-week summer semester in resident study at Texas A&M University for the required period. A student who enters a doctoral degree program with a baccalaureate degree may fulfill residence requirements in excess of one academic year (18 credit hours) by registration during summer sessions or by completion of a less-than-full course load (in this context a full course load is considered 9 credit hours per semester).

Students who are employed full-time while completing their degree may fulfill total residence requirements by completion of less-than-full time course loads each semester. In order to be considered for this, the student is required to submit a Petition for Waivers and Exceptions along with verification of his/her employment to the Graduate and Professional School. An employee should submit verification of his/her employment at the time he/she submits the degree plan. See  Registration.

See  Residence Requirements .

All requirements for doctoral degrees must be completed within a period of ten consecutive calendar years for the degree to be granted. A course will be considered valid until 10 years after the end of the semester in which it is taken. Graduate credit for coursework more than ten calendar years old at the time of the final oral examination may not be used to satisfy degree requirements.

A final corrected version of the dissertation or record of study in electronic format as a single PDF file must be cleared by the Graduate and Professional School within one year of the semester in which the final exam is taken. Exams taken in between terms will expire at the end of the term that ended prior to the exam. For example, a final exam taken and passed during the fall 2022 semester will expire at the end of the fall 2023 semester. A final exam taken in the time between the summer and fall 2022 semesters will expire at the end of the summer 2023 semester. Failure to do so will result in the degree not being awarded.

A student in a program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy who has completed all coursework on his/her degree plan other than 691 (research) are required to be in continuous registration until all requirements for the degree have been completed. See  Continuous Registration Requirements .

• completed all formal coursework on the degree plan with the exception of any remaining 681, 684, 690 and 691, or 791.
• a 3.0 Graduate GPA and a Degree Plan GPA of at least 3.0 with no grade lower than C in any course on the degree plan,
• passed the preliminary examination (written and oral portions),
• submitted an approved dissertation proposal,
• met the residence requirements. The final examination will not be authorized for any doctoral student who has not been admitted to candidacy.

A student is required to possess a competent command of English. For English language proficiency requirements, see the Admissions section of this catalog. The doctoral (PhD) foreign language requirement at Texas A&M University is a departmental option, to be administered and monitored by the individual departments of academic instruction.

99-Hour Cap on Doctoral Degrees

In Texas, public colleges and universities are funded by the state according to the number of students enrolled. In accordance with legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, the number of hours for which state universities may receive subvention funding at the doctoral rate for any individual is limited to 99 hours. Texas A&M and other universities will not receive subvention for hours in excess of the limit.

Institutions of higher education are allowed to charge the equivalent of non-resident tuition to a resident doctoral student who has enrolled in 100 or more semester credit hours of doctoral coursework.

Doctoral students at Texas A&M have seven years to complete their degree before being charged out-of-state tuition. A doctoral student who, after seven years of study, has accumulated 100 or more doctoral hours will be charged tuition at a rate equivalent to out-of-state tuition. Please note that the tuition increases will apply to Texas residents as well as students from other states and countries who are currently charged tuition at the resident rate. This includes those doctoral students who hold GAT, GANT, and GAR appointments or recipients of competitive fellowships who receive more than $1,000 per semester. Doctoral students who have not accumulated 100 hours after seven years of study are eligible to pay in-state tuition if otherwise eligible.

Doctoral students who exceed the credit limit will receive notification from the Graduate and Professional School during the semester in which they are enrolled and exceeding the limit in their current degree program. The notification will explain that the State of Texas does not provide funding for any additional hours in which a student is enrolled in excess of 99 hours. Texas A&M University will recover the lost funds by requiring students in excess of 99 hours to pay tuition at the non-funded, non-resident rate. This non-funded, non-resident tuition rate status will be updated for the following semester and in all subsequent semesters until receipt of a doctoral degree. Please see the  Tuition Calculator  at the non-resident rate for an example of potential charges.

The following majors are exempt from the 99-Hour Cap on Doctoral Degrees and have a limit of 130 doctoral hours:

• Biochemistry
• Biomedical Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Counseling Psychology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Health Services Research
• Medical Sciences
• Microbiology
• Neurosciences (School of Medicine)
• Oral and Craniofacial Biomedical Sciences
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Public Health Sciences
• School Psychology

For information on applying for your degree, please visit the  Graduation  section.

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• Animal Sciences, Ph.D.

The Animal and Dairy Sciences Department offers one of the most comprehensive animal and dairy science graduate programs in the country. Faculty interests and research funding span diverse areas of focus with emphases ranging from in vivo and in vitro studies that probe biological relationships at a fundamental mechanistic level to using bioinformatics and data analytics to study fundamental biology and development of decision support tools for dairy farm management. The common thread through these varied interests is the motivation to address current practical issues in animal agriculture.

Development of an individual course of study is flexible to meet the needs of students with varied interests. Fundamental training in basic science fields related to the area of interest is required. There are nine program areas for prospective applicants to review and choose from—see website . Minimum admissions requirements of the Graduate School must be met. Specific degree requirements are available from the department.

Graduate students in the department are a mix of domestic students, from within and outside of Wisconsin, and international students from multiple countries. This diversity brings a national and global perspective to research, instruction, extension, and cultural understanding. Graduates find employment in academic teaching and research, in professional veterinary or medical degree programs, in industrial research in the food and feed industries, in laboratory research programs with governmental and international agencies, private corporations, and in industrial or institutional management positions requiring a high level of scientific training.

The greatest share of Ph.D. training will be achieved through selection and pursuit of a research project in a discipline of animal and dairy sciences in which the student has a strong interest. Students exercise individual initiative in the planning and execution of research projects. Every effort is made to start students on research problems early in their graduate careers.

Research Focus Areas

Students may choose to focus on the areas of: nutrition, rumen microbiology, reproductive physiology– endocrinology, lactational physiology, genetics, animal breeding, animal behavior, muscle biology, meat science, cell biology, animal health, immunity and toxicology, international agriculture or precision agriculture. Considerable opportunity for study exists in joint programs with bacteriology, toxicology, biochemistry, the interdepartmental graduate program in nutritional sciences, genetics, endocrinology, reproductive physiology training program, food science, physiology, agricultural and applied economics, biometry, cellular and molecular biology, pharmaceutical sciences, chemical and biological engineering, bio-engineering, comparative biosciences, and anatomy.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

Students with satisfactory undergraduate or graduate training in any biological science including emphasis on basic science courses will have suitable backgrounds for graduate studies in Animal Sciences. Typically students admitted to the program have GPAs of 3.2 or higher; candidates with a lower GPA may be considered for admission under special circumstances.

Documents Required by the Program:

• Personal statement/reasons for graduate study: see website.
• Three letters of recommendation. The process for letters of recommendation is outlined on this website. Letters should be from faculty who are familiar with your academic abilities and goals. Letters from supervisors that provide a character reference are also acceptable. The letters of recommendation should be submitted with the online application.
• Official transcripts or academic records from each institution attended. These can be scanned and included with the electronic application. Original official transcripts will be required by the Graduate School if a department recommends applicant for admission.

The Graduate School Checklist outlines what you must include in your electronic application: see website.

International students should apply as early as possible. If you are recommended for admission and admitted, extra time will be needed to process visa documents.

Faculty Review of Completed Applications:

It is recommended that applicants contact departmental faculty directly to determine openings in the lab and an interest in their area of research. Students are admitted to the program if a faculty member agrees to accept the candidate into their research group and to provide laboratory/desk space and research support, and upon the approval of the Graduate School. The faculty member also decides whether to offer an assistantship to the candidate.

If a faculty member is interested in a completed application, the applicant will be contacted by them personally.

If a faculty member is interested in accepting an applicant, a recommendation for admission will be sent to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will make the final determination for admission. Our graduate faculty have approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester to recommend domestic students and approximately six weeks prior to the start of the semester to recommend international students.

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Financial assistance may be available to qualified individuals in the form of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. Funding does not come from the department, but from the faculty member agreeing to advise the new student. Therefore, students join labs directly instead of doing rotations. Funding is awarded on a competitive basis and may be renewed annually pending satisfactory progress. Terms of these appointments are defined in the letter of offer to the student.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Required  courses, seminar requirement.

The Animal and Dairy Sciences Graduate seminar ( DY SCI 900 ) features outside speakers, UW faculty, and graduate students in the department presenting their research or defending their thesis. This course is offered during the fall and spring semesters. Attendance is required at this seminar series by all graduate students in the department. Ph.D. students are required to register for the seminar for credit twice. Although attendance is required, registering for the seminar for credit is done the semester a student presents.

Research Requirement

Minimum of 12 credits of research ( AN SCI 990 ).

Teaching Requirement

All students in the Animal Sciences Ph.D. program are required to complete a Teaching Practicum, usually AN SCI 799 Practicum in Animal Sciences Teaching . Each student is expected to work with their faculty advisor to identify an opportunity within the department for the student to engage in teaching. This requirement is broadly defined and could include assisting an Animal and Dairy Sciences faculty member with classroom teaching or TA’ing in a course outside of the department.

Technical Writing Requirement

All students in the Animal Sciences Ph.D. program are required to complete a Technical Writing Course, usually LSC 560 .

Enrollment Requirement

The program requires all funded students to be enrolled full time. For Ph.D. students this means at least 8 credits in the fall and spring term and at least 2 credits in the summer term. Students funded by another program should check with the payroll and benefits coordinator of that department to learn their requirements for enrollment. Unfunded students should follow the Graduate School’s rules on enrollment .

The remainder of the course requirements for the Ph.D. in Animal Sciences will be selected to meet the student's specific needs and to ensure breadth and depth as determined through consultation with their major professor and members of their committee.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate work from other institutions.

This program follows the Graduate School's policy for Satisfying Requirements with Prior Graduate Coursework from Other Institutions.

UW-Madison Undergraduate

This program follows the Graduate School's policy for Satisfying Requirements with Coursework from Undergraduate Career at UW–Madison .

UW-Madison University Special

This program follows  the Graduate School's policy for Transfer from UW–Madison University Special Student Career at UW–Madison. 

This program follows the Graduate School's Probation policy .

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

All Animal Sciences Ph.D. students are admitted to this degree program by their major professor. Following matriculation, the student and major professor determine membership for their Ph.D. Mentor and Preliminary Examination Committee. A minimum of four faculty members are required for the Ph.D. Mentor and Preliminary Examination Committee. At least three of the committee members must be faculty in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. One faculty member on the Committee must be from outside of the Department.

The graduate student formally requests the participation of the faculty on the committee. The student, major professor, and the Director of Graduate Studies must approve of all members on this committee. Once the committee signs the Ph.D. Mentor and Preliminary Examination Committee form, the student must turn in the signed copy to the Graduate Program Manager for review. The Graduate Program Manager will submit the form for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. Changes to a Ph.D. Committee must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Program Manager for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students should meet with their committee at least once per year.

Students must meet with their Ph.D. Mentor and Preliminary Examination Committee during their first year to complete their  Plan of Study Form . Courses taken prior to entering the Animal Sciences program may be considered as a substitute if approved by the student’s Ph.D. Mentor and Preliminary Examination Committee. Once the committee has approved the Plan of Study paperwork, the student must turn in the signed copy to the Graduate Program Manager for review. The Graduate Program Manager will submit the form for review and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. The Plan of Study paperwork must be approved before a student can request their preliminary warrant. Any changes to the certification paperwork must be communicated to the Graduate Program Manager and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

Time limits.

To complete the Ph.D. degree in Animal Science, successful completion of the following items is required. These must be completed in a timely fashion or the student will not be allowed to register. Please note that minimum requirements are provided, however successful completion of the Ph.D. degree requires achievement of the standing of demonstrated scientist, through your Ph.D. program and by making a significant research contribution to the scientific literature.

• Select Graduate Program, form a Ph.D. mentor and examination Committee (by end of 2nd semester).
• Meet with your Ph.D. Committee.  Approve coursework and immediate research plans (by end of 2nd Semester)
• Schedule preliminary examination and file request for preliminary examination (by end of 4th semester).
• If passed, Warrant should be signed and returned to Graduate School. You will be a dissertator.
• Complete research and thesis. Regular meetings with your Committee are expected.
• Request for final examination (includes documentation that exam requirements have been met).
• Successfully complete Final Defense and Examination.

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may by require to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

Doctoral degree students who have been absent for ten or more consecutive years lose all credits that they have earned before their absence. Individual programs may count the coursework students completed prior to their absence for meeting program requirements; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: Grievance Policy  

In the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), any student who feels unfairly treated by a member of the CALS faculty or staff has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing. Some complaints may arise from misunderstandings or communication breakdowns and be easily resolved; others may require formal action. Complaints may concern any matter of perceived unfairness.

To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the person at whom the complaint is directed, the following procedures are used in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies.

• The student should first talk with the person at whom the complaint is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. Others may be resolved by established departmental procedures.
• If the complaint involves an academic department in CALS the student should proceed in accordance with item 3 below.
• If the grievance involves a unit in CALS that is not an academic department, the student should proceed in accordance with item 4 below.
• If informal mediation fails, the student can submit the grievance in writing to the grievance advisor within 10 working days of the date the student is informed of the failure of the mediation attempt by the grievance advisor. The grievance advisor will provide a copy to the person at whom the grievance is directed.
• The grievance advisor will refer the complaint to a department committee that will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, providing a copy to the student. Either party may request a hearing before the committee. The grievance advisor will provide both parties a written decision within 20 working days from the date of receipt of the written complaint.
• If the grievance involves the department chairperson, the grievance advisor or a member of the grievance committee, these persons may not participate in the review.
• If not satisfied with departmental action, either party has 10 working days from the date of notification of the departmental committee action to file a written appeal to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. A subcommittee of this committee will make a preliminary judgement as to whether the case merits further investigation and review. If the subcommittee unanimously determines that the case does not merit further investigation and review, its decision is final. If one or more members of the subcommittee determine that the case does merit further investigation and review, the subcommittee will investigate and seek to resolve the dispute through mediation. If this mediation attempt fails, the subcommittee will bring the case to the full committee. The committee may seek additional information from the parties or hold a hearing. The committee will present a written recommendation to the dean who will provide a final decision within 20 working days of receipt of the committee recommendation.
• If the alleged unfair treatment occurs in a CALS unit that is not an academic department, the student should, within 120 calendar days of the alleged incident, take his/her grievance directly to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The dean will attempt to resolve the problem informally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. If this mediation attempt does not succeed the student may file a written complaint with the dean who will refer it to the CALS Equity and Diversity Committee. The committee will seek a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed, subsequently following other steps delineated in item 3d above.

The Animal Sciences program has a rolling admission policy. Campus visits are recommended along with direct program faculty contact. Funding may be available for a research assistant position from a faculty member if an applicant meets the faculty's research requirements. No applicant will be seriously considered until the applicant has submitted a complete application to the UW-Madison Graduate School with the supporting documentation.

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

The Animal and Dairy Sciences graduate programs encourage students to develop  Individual Development Plans  in collaboration with their major advisor to facilitate professional development. Besides the extensive opportunities offered across the campus at large, students in the Animal and Dairy Sciences program also benefit from activities and  programs provided by the Animal Science Graduate Student Association (ASGSA), a student-led organization for graduate students at UW–Madison who are interested in animal and dairy related science.

• Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, or practice within the field of study.
• Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within the field of study.
• Creates research, scholarship, or performance that makes a substantive contribution.
• Demonstrates breadth within their learning experiences.
• Advances contributions of the field of study to society.
• Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
• Fosters ethical and professional conduct.

For more information about the faculty and their research interests, please visit the directory .

• Requirements
• Professional Development
• Learning Outcomes

Contact Information

Animal Sciences College of Agricultural and Life Sciences andysci.wisc.edu

Megan Sippel, Graduate Student Coordinator [email protected] 608-890-3975 Room 260, 1675 Observatory Drive Madison, WI 53706-1205

Francisco Peñagaricano, Director of Graduate Study [email protected] 608-263-3308

Graduate Program Handbook View Here

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

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Animal Behavior, PHD

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

Degree Awarded: PHD Animal Behavior

The PhD program in animal behavior is a transdisciplinary graduate degree program that provides doctoral-level training in mechanistic and functional approaches to understanding behavior in a variety of animal taxa.

The study of behavior is at the interface of several scientific disciplines, including anatomy, ecology, evolution, neuroscience and physiology. This program offers the diverse but specialized array of skills and knowledge needed to produce excellent research in animal behavior.

Students gain expertise with applied scientific value in areas such as veterinary science and mental and behavioral health in humans. The ecological focus of the program feeds into local, state and global priorities in biological conservation and ecosystem sustainability.

Program Faculty   PhD Students

In this degree program, you will receive training in both classic and cutting-edge concepts and techniques in the field, and develop research competence in animal behavior that integrates approaches from many areas, including:

• anthropology, applied science (e.g. domestication, conservation)
• ecology, evolution, kinesiology
• mathematics, neuroscience, physiology, psychology

Your core coursework includes field- and lab-based research, as well as student-driven seminars that cover emerging themes in the literature.

Training spans both theoretical and empirical approaches, ultimate and proximate levels of explanation, and a wide taxonomic breadth of study species.

As an animal behavior student, you'll benefit from internal ASU research centers such as the Global Biosocial Complexity Initiative, and numerous seminar series including the Social Insect Research Group and the Colloquium on Evolution of Social Complexity.

Finally, you'll have access to external research opportunities through ASU partnerships with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Santa Fe Institute.

• ANB 792 Research
• BIO 514 Statistical Models for Biology
• BIO 522 Populations: Evolutionary Ecology
• BIO 507 Advanced Evolutionary Medicine
• BIO 521 Landscape Ecology
• BIO 530 Scientific Teaching (required in first semester for students that will TA at any point in degree)
• BIO 533 K-12 STEM Education & Outreach
• BIO 539 Computing for Research
• BIO 541 SOLS Seminar Series
• BIO 542 SOLS Current Topics in the Life Sciences
• BIO 591 Society and Natural Resource Management
• BIO 591 Social-Ecological Systems & Adaptation
• BIO 591 Drylands in a Changing Earth
• BIO 591 Population Genetic Reading Group
• BIO 591 Communication for Scientists
• BIO 591 Genetics and Genomics of Behavior
• BIO 620 Research Prospectus Writing
• EVO 501 Current Topics in Evolutionary Biology
• EVO 601 Principles of Evolution
• EVO 610 Research Areas of Evolution

Application and admission information

How to apply.

Applications open September 1 for admission in Fall of the following year. The application deadline is December 1 . We accept applications for Fall semesters only. We cannot guarantee that applications received after the December 1 deadline will be considered for admission.

All applicants must apply by filling out ASU's Graduate Admissions application. All application materials must be submitted through the application or to Graduate Admissions directly. Please do not mail or email any documents to the School of Life Sciences. 

Required materials and information include the following:

• 1-2 page personal statement
• An up to date CV or resume
• The names of relevant SOLS faculty you have been in touch with who you might be interested in being supervised by
• Unofficial transcripts and English proficiency test scores (if applicable)
• The names and emails of at least 3 recommenders to write you letters of recommendation

Application review process and timeline

Following the December 1 deadline, faculty will begin reviewing applications. Applicants should monitor their My ASU priority tasks to ensure there are no missing materials in their application.

Faculty will decide which applicants they would like to invite to our Graduate Recruitment Weekends (GRWs), typically held in February. Applicants will hear from the School of Life Sciences in January if they are invited to participate in the GRWs.

Admission decisions will begin after the GRWs, and applicants typically receive final decisions by April 1.

Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission include the following:

• Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• There are other ways to demonstrate English proficiency beyond the tests, so please refer to ASU's English proficiency webpage to review how you might satisfy requirements

Desired qualifications typically seen in competitive candidates:

• Research experience and a letter of recommendation from a faculty research supervisor
• English proficiency scores that meet these teaching assistant language proficiency requirements

Please note that the GRE is not required.

Students offered admission to a PhD program in the School of Life Sciences will typically receive a funding offer as well. While individual funding offers may differ to some degree, they typically include teaching assistant and/or research assistant positions each semester (summer optional) for 5 years. These positions provide financial coverage through the following:

• A standard salary stipend paid biweekly
• Tuition remission covering enrollment in 6-18 credit hours for fall and spring semesters and 1-14 credit hours for summer semesters
• Health insurance coverage

To discover more, check out the ASU Graduate College's funding opportunities !

Degree Requirements

84 credit hours, an oral and written exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (8 credit hours) ANB 601 Research Strategies in Animal Behavior (4) ANB 602 Current Issues in Animal Behavior (1)

Electives or Research (64 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) ANB 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information Core course ANB 602 is a one credit hour course taken four times.

The department and the student's advisor determine a plan for elective and research courses in conjunction with the student.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in a related discipline from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Applicants must submit the following:

• graduate admissions application and application fee
• official transcripts
• academic record form
• personal statement
• curriculum vitae or resume
• three letters of recommendation
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, learning outcomes.

• Communicate the rationale and results of their research, both orally and in writing.
• Execute a research plan of their own design that addresses a significant scientific question about animal behavior.
• Review the literature relevant to the research question in animal behavior that they address in their dissertation.

Career Opportunities

A doctorate in animal behavior provides strong preparation for academic careers at every level, including community colleges and research universities. The skills and knowledge obtained in this program are also valuable for government careers in federal and state agencies responsible for wildlife management and conservation, and for conservation-related careers in nongovernmental organizations.

Career examples include:

• animal scientist
• biology professor
• conservation biologist
• postsecondary biology teacher
• wildlife biologist

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

• [email protected]
• 480/965-1768

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Animal science (phd), animal science , phd.

The Department of Animal Science offers graduate study emphasizing animal breeding and genetics, meat and poultry products, non-ruminant and ruminant nutrition, and physiology. Analytical laboratories and animal facilities are available for graduate research.

Description

The department's contemporary facilities enhance basic and applied research capabilities for an intensive large animal, poultry, and laboratory animal work. An extensive, federally inspected meat laboratory is available for meat and poultry research. In addition, the department maintains facilities 40 minutes away from Lincoln for research in all disciplines of beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and swine. Graduate programs conduct collaborative research at four university district research and extension centers and the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska.

Specializations

• Animal Breeding and Genetics

Required for Application:

• 3 Letters of recommendation
• Personal Statement is optional but encouraged

Animal Science

Graduate Chair

Jim MacDonald

Support Staff

Heather Wilson

• Extension and Education
• Meat Science and Muscle Biology
• Nonruminant Nutrition
• Ruminant Nutrition

Applying for Admission

Standard requirements for all graduate programs.

• Application for Admission with $50 non-refundable application fee .

If International: Uploads must include all college- or university-level transcripts or mark sheets (records of courses and marks earned), with certificates, diplomas, and degrees plus certified English translations.

After admission: Official documents are required from all students who are admitted and enroll. Photocopies of certified records are not acceptable. International students enrolled in other U.S. institutions may have certified copies of all foreign records sent directly to the Office of Graduate Studies by their current school’s registrar office.

• If applicant’s native language is not English, verification of English proficiency is required.
• If applicant is not a US citizen and expects an F or J visa: financial information .
• Applicants must also fulfill any additional requirements the department specifies at the time of application.

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

Additional requirements specific to this program.

• GRE: After you identify the faculty member(s) in this department with whom you wish to work, contact them regarding their preferences on completion and reporting of GRE scores.
• Personal Statement:  Your statement should include the following: 1) Overview of background/experiences; 2) Reasons for pursuing graduate study including personal and/or career ambitions; 3) Proposed major advisor(s) and reason(s) for interests in their program(s).
• Faculty and Research Interest: Indicate up to 3 faculty members you may be interested in working with. Acceptance by a major advisor is required for admission.
• Three recommendation letters

NOTE: When sending GRE or TOEFL scores, our institution code is 6877 and a department code is not needed.

Admission Application Deadlines

Rolling review process.  Recommended: Apply by March 15 for Fall admission or by October 15 for Spring admission.

Campus Address

C203 Animal Science Lincoln NE 68583-0908

Related Programs

• MS Animal Science
• PhD Nutrition

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.

UNL Graduate Chairs and staff please complete the program update form to provide edits. Updates to graduate program pages are made on an annual basis in conjunction with the Graduate Application for Admission.

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Animal Sciences (Ph.D.)

The Department of Animal Sciences has the unique mission of serving Colorado’s large and diverse livestock industries.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Animal Sciences

Areas of study.

• Breeding and Genetics
• Livestock / Beef Management Systems
• Livestock Behavior and Welfare
• Meat Science / Food Safety-Microbiology
• Nutrition – Ruminant Animal / Equine
• Reproduction – Ruminant Animal / Equine
• Contact your department representative or request more program information .
• Check out department requirements and resources from your department’s website.
• When you’re ready to take the leap, start your application .

Requirements

Coursework, credit requirements, and more information is available in the Colorado State University general catalog . Please contact your department representative with program-related questions.

Student Employment

Graduate students interested in employment positions (GTA, GRA, GSA appointments and hourly positions) should contact their advisor and their departmental graduate coordinator for the process to apply.

Financial Aid

• Financial aid resources available through the Office of Financial Aid website.
• Your department may have financial aid options available and please check our financial resource section for additional opportunities.

M.S. & Ph.D. in Animal Sciences

Caring for animals & feeding a growing population.

The  Department of Animal Sciences   has three graduate degree programs in animal sciences. The Master of Agriculture, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy all offer in-depth study and research in a variety of s pecializations , such as animal nutrition, biochemistry,  food technology and safety,  m eat science, muscle biology , reproductive biology, genetics  and  growth biology.  

Graduate programs in animal sciences provide advanced education and technical training that prepare students for public- and private-sector careers related to animal science and technology, food safety, animal biotechnology and agribusiness as well as university-level careers in research and teaching. Our graduates are doing crucial work not only studying and caring for  animals but also providing essential sources of food and nourishment to the world.  

Master’s & Doctoral Programs

The information below is a brief description of Master and Doctoral Programs in Animal Sciences offered by our department.

Regardless of the degree option being pursued or whether a student has been awarded a departmental research assistantship, all graduate students are expected to demonstrate a high degree of visibility and citizenship in the department and contribute to departmental teaching, research, extension/outreach and(or) administrative activities.

Appropriate types and levels of service are identified and judged accordingly by the major advisor based on the needs of the department and consideration of student interests and capabilities. Candidates for all degree programs are expected to bring to their programs a high degree of self-motivation and maturity which will enable them to benefit from the highly individualized and special relationship that ideally develops between student and major advisor.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.)

The graduate program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in animal sciences provides advanced education and technical training in preparation for careers in public and private sectors related to animal science and technology, food science and technology, animal biotechnology, agribusiness and university-level research and education.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Graduates with a Ph.D. in animal sciences from Auburn University will:  

• Possess an advanced degree of theoretical and practical knowledge of scientific and technological developments related to their chosen fields of study, and the impact of these on modern science, industry and society.   
• Demonstrate an advanced degree of independent scholarship and technical ability related to their chosen fields of study as evidenced by conceptualization and completion of original research.  

CURRICULUM & REQUIREMENTS

This doctoral program emphasizes original, scholarly research and includes significantly advanced coursework. A minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree and a dissertation describing original research are required. Graduate students are not normally admitted directly into this doctoral program unless they have first received a research-based master’s degree.  

There is no foreign language requirement, but knowledge of a foreign language may be recommended by the student’s advisory committee.  

CLICK HERE  FOR   THE COURSE CURRICULUM  

Master of Science Degree (M.S.)

The Master of Science in Animal Sciences   offered by our department   provides advanced education and technical training in preparation for careers in public and private sectors related to animal science and technology, food science and technology, animal biotechnology, agribusiness and university-level research and education.

Graduates with a Master of Science in animal sciences from Auburn University will:   

• Demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of scientific advances related to their chosen fields of  study and  be able to communicate the impact of these on modern science, industry and society.  
• Display independent scholarship and competency in technical skills related to their chosen fields of study as evidenced by completion of original research.    

The Master of Science program requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate-level course work. The degree includes significant training in research.  All M.S. candidates must complete and defend a written thesis based upon results of their research.    

Students pursuing the M.S. achieve specialization in a particular discipline through coursework and completion of an original research project under the supervision of a faculty advisor.  

CLICK HERE FOR THE COURSE CURRICULUM  

Master of Agriculture  Degree (M.Ag.)

The M.Ag. in animal sciences   program consists largely of coursework and prepares students for careers in secondary education, agribusiness and other professions not requiring specialized training in research.

Graduates with a Master of Agriculture in animal sciences from Auburn University will:   

• Demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge of scientific advances related to their chosen fields of study and be able to communicate the impact of these on modern science, industry and society.  
• Display independent scholarship and competency in technical skills related to their chosen fields of study as evidenced by the creation of an original scholarly product.  

A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level course work is required. While the Master of Agriculture does not require completion of original research and submission of a thesis, expectations for academic excellence and intellectual rigor are not different from those of the Master of Science program.  

Students pursuing this degree option are expected to engage in and report on some form of structured scholarly activity conducted under the supervision of the major professor and advisory committee. Examples of such mentored scholarly activity might include, but need not be limited to, completion of a field trial, writing a comprehensive literature review or professional paper on a focused scientific subject, development and validation of a novel laboratory procedure, or development of educational resources.  

CLICK HERE FOR THE COURSE CURRICULUM

GRADUATE DEGREE Info

For more information in detail please reference these graudate degree documents or links regarding our master’s and doctoral programs in Animal Science.

Assistantships

 ansc graduate student assistantships.

Graduate research assistantships are not viewed as compensation for services rendered, but rather as stipends awarded competitively to eligible students on the basis of academic merit, research potential and sustained scholarly achievement. Assistantship stipends for M.S. and Ph.D. students are currently $16,044 and $19,657 per year, respectively, including full tuition waiver; non-thesis M.Ag. students are ineligible to receive departmental research assistantships because of statutory restrictions on research expenditures from state appropriations and federal formula funds. Faculty support their graduate students on research assistantships with grant funds or other monies, and assistantship support is negotiated directly between the student and prospective major professor.

Students can start a graduate program any semester. While we do not have hard and fast requirements, we ask that applicants have their applications in by:

• Summer applicants: April 1
• Fall applicants: July 1
• Spring applicants: November 1

U.S. citizens receive priority consideration for assistantship support, and continuation of financial assistance is dependent upon satisfactory performance and progress toward degree requirements.

ANSC Admission Requirements

The Department of Animal Sciences makes admissions decisions based on the compatibility of the applicant’s goals with departmental resources, the availability of spaces for new students and a holistic evaluation of the applicant’s potential for success in the program. Other considerations will routinely include standardized test scores, grades and(or) grade point averages and letters of recommendation and might also include writing samples, research or applied experience and(or) interviews.

To be considered for admission, the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

• The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree in an agricultural, biological or related life science from an accredited U.S. institution, or the equivalent from an international institution. Applicants lacking suitable preparatory coursework in the basic sciences will be required to correct deficiencies by satisfactorily completing additional courses. The Department’s   Pre-professional curriculum option   provides a model of preparatory coursework at the undergraduate level that optimally prepares students for graduate study in the animal sciences.
• The applicant must be in academic good standing at the institution last attended.
• The successful applicant normally will be expected to have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on all undergraduate course work, or of at least 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course work. Applicants who hold a graduate degree should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all graduate work.
• We are currently not requiring the GRE for applicants. We require contact with a faculty member prior to reviewing applications.
• Applicants whose native language is not English must score at least 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (pBT), 213 on the computer-based TOEFL (cBT), 79 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT) or 6.5 Overall Band Score on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to be considered for admission. On the iBT, students must score a minimum of 16 on the four component parts of the iBT (reading, listening, speaking and writing).

Application Procedures

Prior to making a formal application, prospective applicants are required to directly contact a faculty member(s) in the Department of Animal Sciences whose area(s) of research specialization are compatible with their interests, and inquire about the availability of openings for new graduate students in their programs. The departmental graduate program committee will not review an application from a prospective graduate student unless requested to do so by a prospective faculty advisor, nor will it recommend that a student be admitted unless a prospective faculty advisor agrees to sponsor the applicant’s graduate program.

Prospective graduate students should apply directly to the   Auburn University Graduate School , indicating the degree program (M.Ag., M.S. or Ph.D.) to which they are applying and designating “Animal Sciences” and area of specialization on the electronic application form. Applicants should arrange for official academic transcripts and standardized test (GRE and, if applicable, TOEFL) reports to be sent directly to the Auburn University Graduate School, Hargis Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849; phone: 334/844-4700.

Applicants are required to submit a letter of purpose/intent to the Department’s Graduate Program Officer that indicates the applicant’s area of interest and the basis of his/her motivation for undertaking a graduate degree program. Also, applicants are required to have three letters of recommendation forwarded to the Graduate Program Officer from individuals who can attest to the applicant’s scholarly aptitude and provide insight into the applicant’s qualifications and potential for success as a scientist/educator following completion of a graduate program. Letters of intent and recommendation can be ink-original hard copies sent by surface mail, or .pdf with an electronic signature attached to an e-mail message.

Graduate Degrees & Programs

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PHD, Animal & Dairy Science

A PhD in Animal and Dairy Science can be focused on growth and developmental biology, quantitative genetics, bioinformatics, meats or muscle biology, and nutrition of animals (cattle, swine and laboratory animals).

Degree Type: Doctoral

Degree Program Code: PHD_ADSC

Degree Program Summary:

A PhD in Animal and Dairy Science can be focused on growth and developmental biology, quantitative genetics, bioinformatics, meats or muscle biology, nutrition and/or reproductive physiology of animals (cattle, horses, swine and laboratory animals). Dissertation research programs are applied at improving food animal productivity, profitability and sustainability or using animal models for human research applications. State of the art facilities, laboratories and equipment are in place for in depth research training in all program areas. Specialized areas of interest include a core facility for genomics and/or proteomics, a meat science technology center including abattoir and laboratories, core laboratories in ruminant and monogastric nutrition, environmentally controlled large and small animal facilities on campus and beef and dairy cattle, swine and horse research and teaching farms located near campus and at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Tifton.

This is a dissertation degree program that requires a total of 30 h of graduate credit including 24 h of course work, more than 16 h of courses intended for doctoral students ( >8000 level ) and a minimum of 3 h each of doctoral research and doctoral dissertation. A minimum of 6 h of doctoral level coursework (>8000) in biochemistry, cell biology or genetics and 6 h of statistics is required in the program of study. Other courses in the program of study include courses in animal nutrition, biochemistry and molecular biology, crop and soil sciences, poultry science, genetics, cell biology, microbiology, statistics, veterinary physiology. The dissertation consists of a literature review and a least two to three manuscripts suitable for publication in a scientific refereed journal. Dissertation research for a PhD in Animal and Dairy Science can be focused on biotechnology, genetics, meats or muscle biology, nutrition or reproductive physiology of laboratory or farm animals (cattle, horses and swine). The program leading to the PhD degree in animal nutrition is also available to animal and dairy science students.

There are approximately 20 graduate faculty and a little over 60 ADS graduate students and close to 80 counting those affiliated (Neuro/ENG) housed and/or paid and advised by faculty in ADS. Several graduate faculty and their graduate students are located at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station (CPES) in Tifton, GA. Collaborative research programs exist with USDA Scientists and research faculty from other Departments.

Modern facilities, laboratories and equipment are in place for in depth research training in all program areas. Specialized areas of interest include a core facility for genomics and/or proteomics, a meat science technology center, environmentally controlled large and small animal facilities on campus and beef and dairy cattle, swine and horse research farms located near campus and at CPES in Tifton.

Research and teaching assistantships are available to qualified candidates based on availability of both departmental and research grant funds of individual faculty. Students on assistantship support are eligible to receive a tuition waiver from the UGA graduate school. Prospective graduate students who desire financial aid may apply for assistance directly to the Graduate Coordinator or individual faculty of the animal and dairy science department.

Locations Offered:

Athens (Main Campus)

College / School:

College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

147 Cedar Street Athens, GA 30602

706-542-3924

Department:

Animal and Dairy Science

Graduate Coordinator(s):

Alexander Stelzleni

Phone Number:

706-583-0398

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Animal Science (Ph.D.)

Secondary navigation, leading scientific discoveries in animal science..

Innovations in animal science contribute to improved management, growth, efficiency, health and performance of livestock. Discovering new knowledge in animal nutrition, reproduction and growth, as well as meat science requires a strong background in the sciences. With our multi-disciplinary approaches towards production efficiency, product enhancement and natural resources management, our graduate students gain strong skill sets. Faculty and graduate students are actively involved in basic and/or applied research in the fields of nutrition, reproductive physiology, muscle biology, animal breeding, meat science and animal production. Graduates of our program see career options unfold in a diverse and growing range of employment areas, from animal-related industries to biotechnology and  food product development. Many graduate students devise their own research, or partner with faculty in our many facilities and laboratories, to solve the challenges of 21st century animal agriculture and environmental stewardship.

Is it for you?

This program will be a good fit if you:.

• Have an undergraduate or master's degree in animal science or related field.
• Want to conduct research.
• Have a desire to positively advance animal agriculture.
• Have strong research and critical-thinking skills.

Career Opportunities

• Industry consultant
• Research scientist
• Nutritionist
• Reproductive physiologist

• Cornell University Home
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• Animal Science

Advancing understanding of animal biology and addressing the animal industries' most pressing problems.

Welcome to the Department of Animal Science

The Department of Animal Science offers undergraduate and graduate programs on the biology and management of food, laboratory and companion animal species. Our research programs advance our understanding of animal biology and address local and global issues facing animal industries today. Our goals are to discover and develop new techniques and information to benefit animals, agriculture and human health. Our internationally recognized faculty have diverse interests in animal management, breeding, genetics, physiology, nutrition, growth biology and microbiology.

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Major in Animal Science

Animal science majors learn from internationally recognized professors in all aspects of domestic animal biology: breeding, genetics, nutrition, physiology, growth, behavior and management.

Animal Science Major

Learn more about what an animal science major can do for you.

International Opportunities

Check out the international opportunities available with the animal science major.

Graduate Studies

Approximately 40 graduate students from a variety of disciplines belong to the Department of Animal Science, most of them in the field of animal science.

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Contact us for more information

Thank you for your interest in Animal Science at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  Reach out through the information below, or find a more direct point of contact for your inquiries.

149 Morrison Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853-4801 Phone: (607) 255-2862 Fax: (607) 255-9829 E-mail: anscinfo [at] cornell.edu (anscinfo[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Doctoral Programs

Animal Comparative Biomedical Science

Pursue extensive formal classroom and research training within your field of choice as you perform state-of-the-art research and present your findings at national and international meetings. Students may apply to the ACBS PhD training program without an MS. 

Biosystems Analytics & Technology

Prepare for careers in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is the intersection of science, technology and analytics.  This program focuses on biological systems and water-related issues, such as irrigation and water quality, and biosystems applications like computer modeling, sensors and controls, and systems design.

Biosystems Engineering

Biosystems engineers use engineering, math and life science to design systems to manage soil and water resources, produce food, develop biological products, and manage and analyze large data sets. Work on projects involving wise use of energy, materials, biochemicals and recyclable wastes.

Entomology & Insect Sciences GIDP

Take on interdisciplinary doctoral training in the biology of insects. This program is flexible in its requirements, allowing students to design, in collaboration with faculty, programs of study tailored to individual interests and needs.

Environmental Science

Our distinguished faculty are experts in soil, air and water, and solutions-oriented in their research of today's most pressing environmental issues, from water quality and food safety to mining remediation and environmental justice.

Human Development & Family Science

This five-year doctoral program is designed to enrich knowledge in developmental, interpersonal and family theories while developing research skills and in-depth knowledge within a specialized content area chosen by the student.

Microbiology

Gain a postgraduate education in the basic science disciplines, including microbiology, immunology and food safety, while embracing an integrative approach to science. You will develop a broad academic foundation with a concentration in at least one science discipline.

Nutritional Sciences

This program leads in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that advances the discovery and translation of nutritional science and health. Explore outstanding opportunities that lead to an MS and a PhD in nutritional sciences while working directly with research faculty.

Natural Resources

This program gives you five emphasis areas to choose from: Ecology, Management and Restoration of Rangelands; Fisheries Conservation and Management; Natural Resource Studies; Watershed Management and Ecohydrology; and Wildlife Conservation and Management.

Plant Pathology

Prepare for careers in research and academia focused on microbes, particularly fungi and plant-associated bacteria and viruses, both beneficial and pathogenic.

Plant Science

Prepare for careers in research and academia focused on all aspects of plants, including interactions with abiotic and biotic factors.

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Physiology of Reproduction Research

The mission of the Physiology of Reproduction Program is three-fold: research the fundamental elements of reproductive biology necessary for the development of systems to enhance the efficiency of animal reproduction and productivity, teach the latest principles and strategies/practices of reproductive biology to undergraduate and graduate students and through established extension programs, translate the acquired knowledge into reproductive systems to benefit producers and consumers. 

Diverse Curriculum Taught by Experts 

The teaching effort consists of undergraduate and graduate courses designed to challenge students with “state-of-the-art” information in the areas of animal reproduction, growth, and stress. The courses are recognized partly because of the committed faculty who teach clearly, caring, and thought-provokingly. Members of the teaching faculty have been recognized in many ways for their teaching activities. A distance learning teaching format is being used in one course. Visit the site for the respective courses for specific information. 

Advancing Knowledge Through Collaborative Research  

The research effort is strong because of the program’s number of nationally recognized scientists with diverse areas of expertise. Their interests vary from molecular biology and genomics to the application of advancing technologies in a production setting for several livestock species. Numerous collaborative relationships between the scientists strengthen the program. These relationships are fostered by the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Reproductive Biology, composed of over 45 faculty members from 10 departments in 4 colleges at Texas A&M University and across four campuses and three off-campus centers of the Texas A&M University system. In addition to reproduction, important areas of animal biology, such as growth and animal response to environmental factors (stress) are investigated. Genomic involvement in all the above areas receives high consideration. For specific information regarding research interests, visit the respective sites of the individual scientists. 

Enhancing Efficiency for Producers and Consumers 

The system of Texas A&M AgriLife Animal Science Research and Extension specialists facilitates the dissemination of current strategies for enhancing reproductive efficiency to producers and consumers. Texas AgriLife Research and Extension activities include the annual beef cattle short course, which attracts over 1,000 attendees annually. In addition to the extension specialists, numerous other faculty members and activities at the Research Centers contribute to communicating the latest information to producers and consumers. 

Learn More About all Animal Science Research

Currently, the Department of Animal Science is researching a variety of projects that cover issues such as animal genomics, meat science, food safety, as well as projects focusing on the major livestock species in Texas. Our research programs focus on applied science, which has an immediate application to Texas animal agriculture, and basic science, which provides the foundation for scientific information to impact further research discoveries.

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service | Texas A&M AgriLife Research | Texas A&M Forest Service | Texas A&M AgriLife Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab | College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Are whales mammals? Understanding the marine animal's taxonomy.

Ranging from 9 to 98 feet in length , whales are the largest creatures on Earth. Scientists believe the first whales evolved over 50 million years ago , according to the University of California, Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology. Today, 92 whale species  can be found swimming in the  deep blue sea .

Whales are a part of the cetacean family , which is divided into two groups: baleen whales (which don't have teeth) and toothed whales . These animals are found in every ocean , but this doesn't mean whales are fish.

It's time to break down a whale's taxonomy.

Are whales mammals?

Despite their underwater habitat, whales are mammals. Mammals are not solely terrestrial; some are fully aquatic, including whales and dolphins, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology reports.

According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation , all mammals have the following characteristics:

• Breathe air.
• Have hair or fur.
• Give birth to live young.
• Produce milk and feed it to offspring.
• Are warm-blooded.

Humans have nostrils to breathe and so do whales. A whale's blowhole connects to its lungs to inhale oxygen. Some whales, such as the sperm or Cuvier's beaked, can spend over an hour between breaths , the Whale and Dolphin Conservation reports.

It may not look like it, but whales have hair . Some lose it after birth, while others – including the humpback and right whales – have short hairs on their face.

Whales give birth to live young and feed their offspring with the milk they produce.

Unlike many other ocean dwellers, whales are warm-blooded.

What is the biggest whale in the world? Here's how it compares to other ocean giants.

Do whales lay eggs?

Whales do not lay eggs. Since they are mammals, they give birth to live young.

There are only five known monotremes , or egg-laying mammals, according to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. These include the duck-billed platypus and four species of echidna.

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From " What is the biggest shark? " to " Where do penguins live? " to " How long do orcas live? " – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our  Just Curious section  to see what else we can answer.

Plan to watch the April 2024 total solar eclipse? Scientists need your help.

S cientists are putting out a call for people across the country to help them observe the effects of one of the largest natural wonders of the year – the total eclipse of the sun that will cover much of the United States on April 8 .

People inside or near the totality can sign up to take part in at least four different projects, from watching animal behavior to photographing the sun's corona , weather permitting , to recording the soundscape of the eclipse. There are also state-level projects being organized in Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere.

Here are ways to take part in a national effort to gather information from this rare celestial event.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Watch how animals respond to the eclipse

For the 2017 solar eclipse, Adam Hartstone-Rose, a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University, set up an experiment to observe zoo animals as darkness fell. To their surprise, more than two-thirds of the animals exhibited changed behavior, some of it extreme .

For 2024, he's going national. The project is called SolarEclipseSafari.org . Taking part won’t interfere with the eclipse experience but will help scientists collate information about how animals react both inside the totality and in areas where there’s only partial darkness.

Volunteers will be asked to observe and report on animals near them – including pets, farm and wild animals – and record how they behave during the eclipse. Do they look toward the sky, do they group together, do they get ready for sleep or wake up?

By signing up , volunteers will get information about how to collect animal behavior data either on a phone or tablet or using printed data collection sheets.

“So far we’ve gotten over 1,000 people signed up, but we’re hoping for thousands,” said Hartstone-Rose.

People can go out into nature to observe wildlife, watch their pets at home or head to local farms to observe the stock.

“I'm super keen to hear about farm animals," said Hartstone-Rose. "What will the cows, sheep and chickens do? Will roosters start crowing?”

Help NASA study the sun through photography

This one's for people who plan to photograph the eclipse with cameras on tripods.

Photographers can help NASA scientists study the sun’s outer atmosphere – the corona – which is revealed during totality. The corona is the birthplace of the solar wind, the stream of particles and material flowing from the sun that can impact Earth, and the best time to observe it is during a total solar eclipse.

But the full eclipse, or totality, only lasts for four-and-a-half minutes at a maximum in any one place, which isn't long enough to watch the coronal change. NASA hopes to gather photographs from across the 90 minutes during which the moon’s shadow crosses from Mexico to Canada.

These will then be combined into movies that will reveal otherwise difficult-to-observe activity in the corona.

You can sign up to be part of the Eclipse Megamovie here .

Listen to the sudden silence of the eclipse

One of the striking experiences of an eclipse is how animals, birds and insects fall silent as the darkness approaches. "As the moon's shadow engulfs the sun in a total solar eclipse, a unique symphony unfolds – a symphony not of sight, but of silence and surprise," is how the researchers put it.

They're asking the public to help them record what happens during the eclipse across North America, part of an effort that revisits an eclipse study from 90 years ago that showed that animals and insects are affected by solar eclipses.

The Eclipse Soundscapes project will be collecting observations and recorded sound data to help understand the impact of the 2024 solar eclipses on various U.S. ecosystems. To participate, observers will need to sign up in advance .

Get out your ham radio

This one's for the more than half-a-million ham radio operators in the United States.

On the ground during an eclipse darkness, temperatures drop and wind patterns change, but high above – 100 to 400 miles up in the ionosphere – these effects are amplified as much as a hundred times.

The NASA-funded Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation asks ham radio operators across the country to attempt to send and receive signals to one another before, during and after the eclipse.

Amateur radio (ham radio) bounces radio signals off Earth’s ionosphere to communicate with other operators beyond the horizon. By measuring the strength of those signals information about the height, density and dynamics of the ionosphere can be collected.

The data collected will help assess how widespread the changes in the ionosphere are and compare the results to computer models. It's being led Nathaniel Frissell, a professor of physics and Engineering at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Plan to watch the April 2024 total solar eclipse? Scientists need your help.

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Bird Flu Spreads to Dairy Cows

U.S. regulators confirmed that sick cattle in Texas, Kansas and possibly in New Mexico contracted avian influenza. They stressed that the nation’s milk supply is safe.

By Emily Anthes

A form of avian influenza that is highly fatal in birds has been confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas, the Department of Agriculture announced on Monday.

It is the first time that cows infected with the virus have been identified.

The cows appear to have been infected by wild birds, and dead birds were reported on some farms, the agency said. The Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed that the influenza subtype known as H5N1 has been identified and said that the virus resembled the version that has been spreading in birds across the nation.

The results were announced after multiple federal and state agencies began investigating reports of sick cows in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico. The illness has primarily affected older cows, causing symptoms that include reduced appetite, fever and a sudden drop in milk production. So far, the U.S.D.A. said, there had been few or no reports of deaths in the affected herds.

In several cases, the virus was detected in unpasteurized samples of milk collected from sick cows. Pasteurization should inactivate the flu virus, experts said, and officials stressed that the milk supply was safe.

“At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health,” the agency said in a statement.

Outside experts agreed. “It has only been found in milk that is grossly abnormal,” said Dr. Jim Lowe, a veterinarian and influenza researcher at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In those cases, the milk was described as thick and syrupy, he said, and was discarded. The agency said that dairies are required to divert or destroy milk from sick animals.

The cattle infections come on the heels of the nation’s first detection of highly pathogenic bird flu in goats, which was announced by Minnesota officials last week .

So far, the flu samples from sick cows have not contained genetic mutations that are known to make the virus more likely to infect humans, the agriculture agency said, adding that the risk to the general public remained low.

“There’s still no cause to panic,” said Stacey L. Schultz-Cherry, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “It just looks like it’s another spillover event due to contact with diseased wild birds.”

Still, she noted, cows were not thought to be among the species that were particularly susceptible to avian influenza, and the cases were another worrisome turn in a global bird flu outbreak that has devastated wild bird populations over the last few years.

The outbreak has been caused by a new form of bird flu virus, known as H5N1, that emerged in Europe in 2020. Wild birds can spread the virus, through their feces and oral secretions, to farmed poultry and other animals. Outbreaks often flare up in the spring and summer, when migrating birds are on the move.

Although avian influenza viruses are adapted to spread primarily among birds, the new version of H5N1 has become so widespread in wild birds that it has also repeatedly spread to mammals, especially scavenging species, such as foxes, that might feed on infected birds.

Infected wild birds could transmit the virus to cows by contaminating their food or water, said Dr. Joe Armstrong, a veterinarian and cattle production expert at the University of Minnesota Extension. “You get onto a farm, especially during the migratory season, and you’ve got geese and ducks looking for feed just like everyone else,” he said. “To me that’s the most likely route.”

But it is also possible that free-ranging cats, which are not uncommon on farms and are known to be susceptible to the virus, could be involved in spreading the pathogen, he said.

Dr. Armstrong also cautioned that it was too soon to conclude that avian influenza was the primary cause of disease in all of the sick cows that have been reported.

Infections of mammals, which give bird flu viruses new opportunities to evolve, are always a source of some concern, Andrew Bowman, a molecular epidemiologist and influenza expert at Ohio State University, said. Scientists have long been concerned that a bird flu virus that evolved to spread more efficiently among mammals, including humans, could set off the next pandemic.

At this point, Dr. Bowman said, it remains unclear whether the infected cows have all picked up the virus directly from birds or whether the virus is also spreading from cow to cow.

“That’s a question that’s going to have to get resolved quickly,” he said. “If we have transmission cattle to cattle, that’s a different story. That certainly makes me a little more nervous.”

A closer look at the viral genomes should help scientists learn more about how the virus is spreading and whether it is evolving in ways that would increase the public health risk, scientists said.

These first cases also mean that flu surveillance in cattle should be ramped up, said Richard Webby, a virologist and influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“It’s pretty clear that we have to now get a better feel for how widespread this is in cows,” he said. “Flu probably wasn’t a major part of a diagnostic work-up for a sick cow before this, but it’s certainly going to be moving forward.”

Emily Anthes is a science reporter, writing primarily about animal health and science. She also covered the coronavirus pandemic. More about Emily Anthes