Program Overview
The Animal and Dairy Sciences graduate program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers comprehensive training in dairy science, preparing students for careers in academia, industry, and research. The program emphasizes research, teaching, and communication skills, with a focus on advancing knowledge in the field. Graduates are highly sought after for positions in various sectors, including academic institutions, veterinary medicine, and the food and feed industries.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Animal and Dairy Sciences Department offers one of the most comprehensive animal and dairy science graduate programs in the country. 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.
Objectives:
Understand and summarize ideas and concepts into a coherent biological model, research problem(s), and research project that will go beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within Dairy Science. Create research and scholarship that makes a substantive contribution to the field of Dairy Science. Orally communicate complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner in a scientific, classroom, and/or industry setting. Statistically analyze data, summarize the results in tables and/or graphs, and provide valid interpretation of the results. Communicate in accurate written English and in the format of a scientific journal, complex ideas and research results. Foster ethical and professional conduct and have knowledge in a broad range of areas that are important for their professional development.
Outline:
Program Structure:
Mode of Instruction:
- Face-to-Face
- Evening/Weekend
- Online
- Hybrid
- Accelerated
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 Dairy Science graduate students. 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 Dairy Science Ph.D. program are required to complete a Teaching Practicum, usually DY SCI 799. 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 Dairy Science Ph.D. program are required to complete a Technical Writing Course, usually LSC 560.
Electives:
The remainder of the course requirements for the Ph.D. in Dairy Science 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.
Assessment:
Students must have a 3.00 GPA required. Preliminary examination and file request with the Graduate Program Manager at least four weeks prior to the exam date for preliminary examination (by end of fourth semester). Complete written preliminary examination; complete oral preliminary examination (by end of fifth semester). If passed, warrant should be signed and returned to the Graduate School. Student will be a dissertator. Complete research and thesis. Regular meetings with the committee are expected. The student must submit a request for final examination (including documentation that exam requirements have been met) to the Graduate Program Manager at least four weeks prior to the exam date. The thesis must be submitted to the committee at least two weeks prior to the exam. The candidate is required to present an exit seminar on their dissertation research and to subsequently defend the thesis orally. The thesis must be acceptable from both scientific and literary standpoints. The committee administers the thesis defense. Deposit of the doctoral dissertation to the Graduate School is required.
Teaching:
Teaching Methods:
- Classroom lectures
- Small group discussions
- Hands-on laboratory exercises
- Field trips
- Research projects
Faculty:
- The Animal and Dairy Sciences Department has a faculty of over 40 full-time professors who are leading experts in their fields.
Careers:
Potential Career Paths:
- Academic teaching and research
- Veterinary or medical degree programs
- Industrial research in the food and feed industries
- Laboratory research programs with governmental and international agencies
- Private corporations
- Industrial or institutional management positions requiring a high level of scientific training
