Master of Science - Animal and Range Sciences

Program Description

The Animal and Range Sciences Department offers a Master of Science degree in "Animal & Range Sciences" and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in "Animal & Range Sciences". Both the MS and PhD degrees require that the student choose either an Animal Science emphasis or a Range Science emphasis.

Animal Science Emphasis

Graduate students in the Animal Science emphasis receive broad-based training resulting in experiences that qualify them for many agricultural jobs as well as pursuit of advanced degrees and academic positions. Areas of emphasis include nutrition, breeding and genetics, physiology, production systems, and meat science/muscle growth. Research problems may involve beef cattle, sheep, horses and biochemical or other properties of agricultural products. Supporting course work may be taken from Animal Science, Range Science, Biology, Wildlife Management, Biochemistry, Statistics, Plant Sciences, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Economics.

Range Science Emphasis

Research and training opportunities in the Range Science programs are diverse, and students with a wide variety of backgrounds, goals, and educational needs are accepted. Major areas of study are grass-shrubland ecology, habitat management, watershed management, grazing management, natural resource monitoring, riparian ecosystems, and plant-animal (livestock and wildlife) interactions. The Range Science emphasis prepares students for careers in grass-shrubland management, wildlife management, habitat management, natural resource conservation and restoration, research, land-use planning, and consulting.  Cooperative projects with ranchers and federal and state agencies are part of the educational experience. Supporting courses at the graduate level include botany, wildlife biology and management, soils, animal science, earth science, plant science, statistics and biochemistry.