Animal and Veterinary Sciences, PhD

Program Description

The purpose of the Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AVS) graduate program is to provide a high-quality education for graduate students with diverse goals, and to develop, through research, the knowledge and technology necessary to continually improve productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of animal agriculture. Students interested in a professional career in the animal sciences are exposed to educational and research experiences involving the many facets of animal nutrition, physiology, microbiology, genetics and meat science through a rigorous curriculum of graduate-level courses and challenging experimentation approaches. The most current ideas and concepts in animal sciences are provided to students through their daily interactions with the faculty in both the classroom and laboratory environments.

Applicants to the Animal and Veterinary Sciences PhD program should have a strong background in the animal, biological and physical sciences. Students with deficiencies in these sciences may be admitted provided they correct these deficiencies during the first year of the program of study. Students are required to identify a major advisor who has agreed to serve prior to program acceptance.

For more information, please visit https://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/animal_vet_science/students/index.html.

Summary of Degree Requirements

Each student’s program includes at least 30 credit hours beyond the master’s degree or 60 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation research. At least half of the total graduate credit hours required by the advisory committee, exclusive of thesis research, must be selected from courses numbered 8000 or above. A dissertation is required.

Students also complete at least one professional development experience per year focusing on helping the graduate student strengthen their competitiveness for future career opportunities. The experience may not be used to complete another requirement and must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. Examples might include participating in directed reading discussions (journal club); training in grant-writing; attending professional speaking engagements; completing Grad 360 courses; or presenting at a regional, national or international conference during their graduate program.

Coursework

In addition to the requirements listed for the MS thesis degree, the following course areas and credit hours are required:

• Statistics: 3 credits
• Research Proficiency: 18 credits, AVS 9910 - Doctoral Dissertation Research  
• Advanced Knowledge of Discipline: 9 credits

Graduation Requirements

To be accepted into candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in AVS, each student must complete the requirement of a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam is taken in two parts: written examinations and oral examinations. Examinations are scheduled with the major advisor and advisory committee. After completion of these exams, the graduate student files the GS5D form. The time span from the beginning to the end of the examination must not exceed 12 months. If a student fails to pass the comprehensive examination, he/she may be given a second opportunity depending on the recommendation of the committee. A second failure results in the student being declared ineligible to receive the PhD or EdD degree at Clemson University in any program; that is, the student is not eligible to transfer or apply to a different doctoral program at Clemson University.

The advisory committee consists of a major advisor and a minimum of three committee members. All members of the advisory committee must be currently approved members of the AVS graduate faculty.