Animal Nutrition

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Brian Rude
4024 Wise Center
Box 9815
Mississippi State, MS  39762
Telephone: 662-325-2933
E-mail: brude@ads.msstate.edu

An Interdisciplinary Curriculum

The graduate program in Animal Nutrition is an interdepartmental curriculum leading to a Master of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal Nutrition or a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal Nutrition.  The student selects course offerings from Animal and Dairy Sciences; Poultry Science; Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion; Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture; and Biochemistry.

Master of Science in Agriculture with Concentration in Animal Nutrition

Admission Criteria

Prerequisites for admission include a bachelor’s degree in Animal, Dairy or Poultry Sciences; Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion; Fisheries or Aquatic Science; Biological or Physical Science with an adequate background in chemistry.  A minimum of 3.00 quality point average on a 4.00 scale is required.  The quality point average can be based on either overall undergraduate degree work or the last two years (60 semester hours) of undergraduate work.  Any request for Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores is dependent upon the faculty member who will serve as the thesis director (major professor), but the GRE score is not an Animal Nutrition graduate program requirement.  A statement of purpose and letters of recommendation are required of all applicants.

Provisional Admission

A student who has not fully met the GPA or other requirements stipulated by the University may be admitted on a provisional basis.  The provisionally-admitted student is eligible for a change to regular status after receiving a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University (with no grade lower than a C).  The first 9 hours of graduate courses must be within the student's program of study.  Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.  If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student shall be dismissed from the graduate program.  Academic departments may set higher standards for students to fulfill provisional requirements; a student admitted with provisional status should contact the graduate coordinator for the program’s specific requirements.  While in the provisional status, a student is not eligible to hold a graduate assistantship.

Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with Concentration in Animal Nutrition

Admission Criteria

Prerequisites for admission include a master’s degree.  A minimum of 3.00 quality point average on a 4.00 scale is required for all post-baccalaureate courses.  Any request for Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores is dependent upon the faculty member who will serve as the thesis director (major professor), but the GRE score is not an Animal Nutrition graduate program requirement.  A statement of purpose and letters of recommendation are required of all applicants.

Provisional Admission

A student who has not fully met the requirements stipulated by the University and the graduate program for Animal Nutrition for admission to graduate study may be granted admission as a degree-seeking graduate student with provisional status.  The student must have as his or her initial objective advancement to regular status.  A provisional student must receive a 3.00 GPA for the first 9 hours of graduate-level courses on his or her program of study taken at Mississippi State University (courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement) in order to achieve regular status.  If a 3.00 is not attained, the provisional student may be dismissed from graduate study.

Master of Science in Agriculture with Animal Nutrition Concentration

BCH 6603	General Biochemistry	3
BCH 6613	General Biochemistry	3
ST 8114	Statistical Methods	4
ST 8214	Design and Analysis of Experiments	4
Research/thesis		6
Graduate-level coursework		10
Total Hours		30

At least 12 hours of coursework must be at the 8000-level.

The Master of Science degree requires a thesis defense.  The Animal Nutrition program does not offer a non-thesis M.S. degree. 

A minor is not required but, if selected, an additional 12 hours of credit and a committee member from the minor area are required.  A graduate program of study should be submitted and approved by the student’s graduate committee and graduate coordinator by the end of the first semester of graduate study.  The graduate committee should be composed of the major professor and at least two committee members, one of whom should be a member of the Animal Nutrition graduate faculty.  Additional committee members may be included at the discretion of the major professor.

Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with Animal Nutrition Concentration

The doctoral program in Agricultural Sciences/Animal Nutrition has no course requirements; however, BCH 6603, BCH 6613, ST 8114, and ST 8214 are required if they were not completed during the student’s master‘s degree. Additionally, a language or research skill requirement, a preliminary/comprehensive examination, and a final dissertation defense are required.  The research skill requirement requires the student to demonstrate a technical proficiency in a research skill not directly or routinely related to his or her research area.  This proficiency may be demonstrated by successful completion of six hours of credit (examples include 6 hours of statistics excluding ST 8114 and ST 8214; 6 hours in computer science; 6 hours in a research area excluding minor or required courses; directed individual study courses) approved by the student’s graduate committee and is not part of the program of study.  A minor is not required, but if a minor is selected it must consist of a minimum of 12 hours of graduate credit, and a committee member from the minor area is required.  A graduate program of study should be submitted and approved by the student’s graduate committee and graduate coordinator by the end of the first semester of graduate study.  The graduate committee should be composed of at least four members including the major professor who must be a full member of the graduate Animal Nutrition faculty, one other member of the graduate Animal Nutrition faculty, and two additional members, one of whom must be from the minor field if a minor is selected.  The other may be from outside the major area.