2024-25 Academic Catalog

Animal and Dairy Sciences

Department Head: Dr. Christy Bratcher
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Kelsey Harvey
4025 Wise Center
Box 9815
Mississippi State, MS  39762
Telephone: 662-325-0040
E-mail: kelsey.harvey@msstate.edu

The Animal and Dairy Sciences program offers graduate study toward the Master of Science (thesis) in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal Science; the Master of Agriculture with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences (non-thesis); and Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal Science, Master of Agriculture (non-thesis option), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences.

Admission Criteria

A minimum of 3.00 GPA is required for all programs (Master of Science, Master of Agriculture, and Doctor of Philosophy).  Individual faculty serving as major professors may have additional requirements for students they advise. Therefore, it is advisable that a prospective student contact faculty with whom he/she is interested in working to determine if they have additional admission requirements. An international applicant is required to have a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 575 PBT (84 iBT) or an IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) score of 7.0 or higher to be considered for admission.

Provisional Admission

An applicant who has not fully met the GPA requirement stipulated by the University may be admitted on a provisional basis. See Provisional Admission Requirements in this Catalog. 

Academic Performance

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences adheres to the academic performance standards of the Graduate School and CALS. Students are referred to these criteria for provisional admission, contingent admission, academic performance, and dismissal policies.

To graduate, the student must complete all University and degree program requirements listed in the Graduate Catalog under which they began the program. A graduate student cannot graduate under any of the following circumstances. 

  1. A GPA lower than 3.00 for all courses attempted for graduate credit after admission to the degree program or
  2. A grade of D or lower on the program of study or
  3. More than two courses (not exceeding 9 credit hours) with a grade of C or lower earned for all courses since admission into the program, including those outside the program of study* or
  4. A U grade in thesis or dissertation research credit in the final semester or
  5. A grade of I (Incomplete) on his/her transcript.

*NOTE: The original grade for a course that is retaken will not be included in the 8 hours. However, the original grade is included as part of the calculation of the GPA. See the Course Retake Policy section for additional details.

No graduate courses with pass/fail credit are accepted as part of a graduate program. Grades of pass/fail are not awarded at MSU and cannot be transferred to MSU.

A GPA of 3.00 on the minor coursework is required for students completing a minor.

Stipends

Students who have not met the requirements for full admission to their degree program are not eligible to receive an assistantship. Students with a GPA less than 3.00 or who have been admitted on a provisional/probationary status are not eligible to receive an assistantship. Graduate assistantships provide students a salary for 20 hours of work per week which is NOT part of their own research. These 20 hours per week may be spent on research, teaching, and/or service. The student is also expected to complete work toward their his or her own research IN ADDITION TO their assistantship duties.