Animal & Veterinary Sciences (MS, PhD)

One Health

One Health is defined as “the integrative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.”. Learn more about One Health here.

Our group focuses on applying this approach in the following areas:

• Antimicrobial resistance mitigation
• Comparative Medicine/Translational Research
• Zoonotic Diseases
• Disaster preparedness and response
• Food Safety and Security
• Human - Animal bond
• Education and training of the next generation of One Health professionals
• Welfare / Well-being of animals

Faculty Members (see the full Graduate Faculty directory)

• Khaled Abdelaziz, BVSc, Ph.D.
• Ahmed Ali, BVSc, Ph.D.
• Matthew Breed, DVM , PhD, Dipl. ACLAM
• Hamp Bruner, DVM, Dipl. ACVP
• Kathleen Cartmell, MPH, Ph.D.
• Celina Checura, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACT
• Delphine Dean, Ph.D.
• Jeryl Jones, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVR
• Radhika Kakani, DVM, PhD
• Nikolay Kapustin, DVM
• Martine LaBerge, Ph.D.
• Steven Marks, BVsC, M.S., Dipl. ACVIM
• Jeremy Mercuri, Ph.D.
• Bryan Lee Miller, Ph.D.
• Jiro Nagatomi, Ph.D.
• Michael Neault, DVM
• Winifred Elysse Newman, MArch, Ph.D.
• Boyd Parr, DVM
• Lior Rennert, Ph.D.
• Patty Scharko, DVM, MPH, Diplomate ACVPM
• Dan Simionescu, Ph.D.
• Windsor Sherrill, Ph.D.
• Alexis Stamatikos, Ph.D., RD
• Lakshmi Tulasi Sunkara, DVM, Ph.D.
• Kate Tsai, Ph.D.
• Robin Tyndall, M.S.
• Naren Vyavahare, Ph.D.
• Kuang-Ching Wang, Ph.D.
• Pingshan Wang, Ph.D.
• John Whitcomb, BSN, MSN, Ph.D.
• Hai Yao, Ph.D.

Physiology/Genetics

Physiology and genetics at Clemson involve fetal and metabolic programming, fetal/maternal interactions and how they affect gestation, and endocrinology and molecular endocrinology of reproduction

Faculty Members (see the full Graduate Faculty directory)

• Dr. Scott Pratt
• Dr. Nathan Long

Nutrition

Nutrition at Clemson involves the scientific study of nutrient metabolism and their interaction with the animal and the environment. In animal nutrition, an in-depth understanding of several disciplines is necessary to undertake its exploration. Some of these areas are Animal Physiology, Nutrient Metabolism, Microbiology, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Anaerobic Fermentation, Management Practices, Statistics, Ecology, Forages, among others. Our research encompasses the improvement in nutrient content of meat, milk and eggs with the overall goal of achieving a healthier environment and human population. During your research in your graduate program, you will gain the skills to analyze, synthesize, plan and critically evaluate independently new and complex phenomena, problems and situations in animal nutrition while seeking and investigating possible solutions.

Faculty Members (see the full Graduate Faculty directory)

• Matias Aguerre, PhD
• Mireille Arguelles, PhD
• Susan Duckett, PhD
• Gustavo Lascano, PhD
• Jim Strickland, PhD

(in addition to Graduate School requirements) 

The AVS Department requires an applicant’s recent resume, personal statement, and three letters of reference. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores are not required for departmental admission; however, individual faculty may require GRE scores for acceptance into their program.

For M.S. thesis, M.S. non-thesis, and Ph.D. degree programs, the AVS Department requires applicants to identify an AVS faculty member who is willing to serve as a major advisor prior to admission. Applications from students who have not been in communication with their prospective advisor before applying to the AVS Graduate Program are rarely admitted.

For assistance choosing a major advisor, please contact the AVS Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Gustavo Lascano (glascan@clemson.edu).

Animal and Veterinary Sciences, MS 

Applicants to the Animal and Veterinary Sciences programs 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. MS students are required to complete coursework in an area of interest approved by their graduate advisor or advisory committee. MS students may select a thesis or non-thesis option. 

Master of Science, Non-Thesis Option: 

Students in the M.S. non-thesis option must complete a minimum of 30 hours of coursework, excluding thesis research. Course requirements are: 

Additional requirements: at least six of the 30 credits must be 8000 level AVS courses; no more than three credits of AVS 8010 Selected Topics; and no more than three credits of AVS 8220 Special Problems. All students will have a graduate advisory committee consisting of at least three graduate faculty including their major advisor who must be a current member of the AVS graduate faculty. At the conclusion of the student’s program, an exit graduate committee meeting with an oral examination is required. 

Master of Science, Thesis Option: 

Students in the M.S. thesis option must complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate coursework, including six credits of thesis research. At least one-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. The following course areas and credit hours are required: 

The advisory committee will consist of a major advisor and a minimum of two committee members. All members of the advisory committee must be currently approved members of the AVS Graduate Faculty. 

¹ Any 8000-level statistics course that is not fulfilling another requirement as approved by the student’s advisory committee. 

² AVS 8200, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Graduate Seminar (1 credit) and at least two additional credits in courses with structured content focused on helping graduate students strengthen their written and oral communication skills, if not fulfilling another requirement and as approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. 

³ Any 6000 or higher level AVS course (excluding 8910, 9910) or other courses in related scientific fields that are not already fulfilling another requirement, as approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. 

Animal and Veterinary Sciences, PhD 

Each student’s program will include 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 one-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. In addition to the requirements listed above for the M.S. thesis degree, the following course areas and credit hours are required: 

Students should also complete at least one Professional Development experience per year focusing on helping the graduate student strengthen their competitiveness for future career opportunities, if not used to complete another requirement and as approved by the student’s advisory committee. Examples might include the following: directed reading discussions (journal club); training in grant-writing; attending professional speaking engagements; Grad 360 courses; or presenting at regional, national or international conferences during their graduate program. 

The advisory committee will consist 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. 

¹Any 8000-level statistics course that is not fulfilling another requirement as approved by the student’s advisory committee. 

³Any 6000 or higher level AVS course (excluding 9910) or other courses in related scientific fields that are not already fulfilling another requirement, as approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. 

The most common mechanism of support is a thorough Graduate Research (GRA) and Teaching (GTA) Assistantships. Interested students are encouraged to contact prospective advisors regarding these assistantships’ availability and eligibility. These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis directly by the Principal Investigator of each research project. Applications from students who have not been in communication with their prospective advisor before applying to the AVS Graduate Program are rarely admitted. 

Types of assistantships: 

Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) conduct supervised research or assist with research funded from any source administered by the University. 

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) teach undergraduate classes or laboratories under the supervision of a faculty member. GTAs are not responsible for assigning grades. 

Graduate Teachers of Record (GTR) assume primary responsibility for teaching undergraduate classes or laboratories and are responsible for assigning grades. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requires that all Graduate Teachers of Record (GTR) have “earned at least 18 graduate semester hours in their teaching discipline, be under the direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, receive regular in-service training and be evaluated regularly. The department chair has the responsibility for determining that the 18-hr requirement is met either through coursework or with a memo containing documentation that the graduate assistant meets the requirement as an exception. The Enrolled Student Serves Office will certify that the 18-hour requirement has been met. 

A few recruitment fellowships and other merit-based scholarships are also available to be awarded on a competitive basis. 

Graduate School is not a race is a marathon. We get it. Your graduate degree will provide you with options to immerse yourself in several different areas that throughout this experience you have learned you are passionate about. Here's a snapshot of what life after graduation looks like for some of our most recent students:

• Education
• Research/Teaching
• Technical Services
• Extension
• Veterinary Medicine
• Small and Large Animal
• Food Safety and Inspection
• Government Agencies
• Non-Governmental agencies
• Research and Development
• Science and Technology
• Farm Production and Management
• Livestock Production
• Livestock Feed
• Meat and Dairy Foods
• Agribusiness
• Sales (Livestock, Nutrition, Pharmaceuticals, Ag Chemical, Supplies and Equipment)
• International Development
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Customer Service
• Product and Process Development
• Genetics and Animal Breeding
• Animal Nutrition, Health and Disease Control
• Animal Behavior, Training, Caretaking
• Quality Control
• Livestock Regulatory Inspection
• Harvest Operation Inspection
• Meat and Dairy Inspection

Dr. Gustavo Lascano
122 Poole Agricultural Center
Phone: 864-656-1745
glascan@clemson.edu

Ms. Stacey Miller
Administrative Coordinator 
129 Poole Agricultural Center 
Phone: 864-656-3428 
smille3@clemson.edu