Objectives 

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Animal Science Program in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources prepares students for additional post-graduate work as well as career opportunities and cooperative ventures with federal and state agencies, private industry, and other interested organizations.  A MS in Animal Science involves research designed to solve problems that lead to improvements in food animal productivity, profitability and sustainability.  

Admissions and Undergraduate Degree Requirements

In addition to the general graduate school requirements, potential candidates must have an undergraduate degree in agricultural sciences, respective of their area of concentration or the equivalent, with thirty (30) credits from the following lists of courses for a specialization in Animal Science: Thirty (30) hours in Animal Production, Animal Reproduction, Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition, Genetics, Selection, Forage Production, Immunity, Animal Diseases, Animal Behavior and similar courses are required for admission into the program.  http://www.desu.edu/admissions/graduate-application-and-admission-policies

Graduate Degree Requirements

The Master of Science degree in Animal Science is designed to prepare students for advanced study in animal production/management, physiology, nutrition, and health.  The degree requires a supervised research program and a thesis. A total of thirty-one (31) credit hours are required for the degree, including twenty-five (25) hours of coursework and six (6) credit hours of research.

Facilities

The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) is housed in the W.W. Baker Building in the agriculture complex at the rear of DSU's campus.  AGNR holds classes and provides state-of-the-art research lab space in both the Baker and Agriculture Annex buildings, which each also contain faculty offices and student computer laboratories. The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium--located in the U.S. Washington Cooperative Extension Center building--the Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Center and a 6,000 square foot Research Greenhouse round out the agriculture complex. The Claude E. Phillips Herbarium contains the largest collection of preserved plant specimens at any historically black institution, dating back to 1799. Off-campus facilities include Hickory Hill Farm, a 75-acre beef, meat goat and forage research facility, located approximately seven (7) miles from campus in Cheswold, Delaware; and the Outreach and Research Center, a 192-acre farm in Smyrna, Delaware, which is used for high tunnel season extension and ethnic crop varietal trials, and research.

Faculty

The diverse faculty in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources are dedicated to their respective fields of study. Specific areas of research interest of the agriculture faculty include, animal production, reproductive physiology, sustainable agricultural production, animal well-being, plant systematics, plant physiology, genomics tissue culture, forage production, forage utilization and minor crop production. Active research programs exist within these areas and offer graduate students many opportunities for active learning and discovery.