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Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Degrees

The programs offered in the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Science Department can help you expand your interest, knowledge and enjoyment of animals into a rewarding and profitable career. Over 95% of our graduates are able to find jobs in an area related to their studies after graduation.

Students in the ADVS Department have opportunities for hands-on experiences in feeding, breeding, handling, managing, and grooming animals. The skills important for handling animals are taught in applied laboratory settings at the various department facilities. Students can also gain knowledge and experience by working with beef and dairy cattle, horses, sheep, and swine. Learn more about the different degree opportunities below:

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences

The ADVS department offers one bachelor’s degree: Bachelor of Science in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences. Additionally, students choose an emphasis of study within this degree. There are four emphasis options. Learn more about each of the emphases below:

  • Animal and Dairy Science Emphasis: Students will be trained in food animal production, equine and food animal management, and animal and medicinal biotechnology. They will also study issues including cost production, profitability, human and animal health, environmental stewardship, bioethics, and animal well-being.
  • Biotechnology Emphasis: In this emphasis, students learn the application of scientific and engineering principles to the production of materials by animals to provide goods and services. Topics of study include quantitative trait mapping, genetic manipulation, and cloning.
  • Bioveterinary Science Emphasis: In this emphasis students will cover topics such as animal biology, management, and disease. Coursework is intended to prepare students for admission to schools of veterinary medicine or other graduate programs in the life sciences, leading to career opportunities in veterinary medicine, life science research, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical testing laboratories.
  • Equine Science and Management Emphasis: This emphasis prepares students for careers dealing with horses. Options include managing equine events, running breeding farms, writing for equine publications, working for breed associations, and working for feed and pharmaceutical companies that deal with equine health.

Interested in the Bachelor of Science in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences degree?

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Graduate Degrees

Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences

Students seeking either a MS and PhD in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences choose one of five specializations:

  • Animal Health and Disease: In this specialization, students focus on molecular biology, pathology, and disease detection using conventional and advanced molecular technologies, epidemiology, parasitology, pharmacology, and microbiology.
  • Animal Molecular Genetics: This specialization involves technologies in genome analysis, whole genome scanning, marker assisted selection, and the identification of economically important trait loci in food-producing animals.
  • Animal Nutrition: Students in this specialization have the opportunity to study things like the development of new feed additives that improve animal performance, innovations in grazing practices that optimize ruminant production, the development of feasible approaches for sustainable agriculture, and more.
  • Animal or Dairy Management: For students seeking careers in production animal agriculture, this specialization prepares students for the challenges facing the animal industry and commodity groups in the 21st century.
  • Reproduction and Development: Students in this specialization work with faculty exploring aspects of early embryo development, differentiation, gene regulation, embryonic stem cell characteristics and applications, reproductive immunology, and more.

Think that a graduate degree in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences might be right for you?

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Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences

Toxicology is the scientific understanding of the harmful effects of natural and synthetic chemicals at all levels – whether large-scale environmental pollutants or small-scale carcinogens – that have an incremental effect over time.

Students can focus their research on a wide variety of areas within the discipline of toxicology, but USU’s program is particularly strong in the following areas:

  • Molecular and biomedical toxicology: This area deals with how external agents affect the genetic structure of cells. Toxicologists at USU are developing research on the genomics of disease, cancer prevention, the mechanisms of air pollution, and more.
  • Environmental toxicology: Scientists working in this area are focused on toxins that affect the environment. Their research aims to restore ecosystems, remove toxic waste, and reduce human and animal exposure to environmental toxins. Additionally, USU scientists were among the first to use a naturally occurring fungus to digest and detoxify chemical waste.

 Want to know more about what a graduate degree in Toxicology can offer you?

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To explore degrees offered through the School of Veterinary Medicine, visit vetmed.usu.edu.

Minors in ADVS

Adding a minor focused in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science is a great way to gain additional background experience and to expand your skill set. Our department offers the following minors: