Accelerated DVM-MS Program, Animal Science Major
For qualified students, the Department of Animal Science offers an accelerated MS degree program for individuals pursuing a doctor in veterinary medicine degree. Qualified veterinary students may use up to 9 credit hours of veterinary medicine courses to count toward both the doctor of veterinary medicine degree and the MS degree. To this end, a student may earn the DVM and MS in about 5 to 5.5 years rather than the 6 to 6.5 years otherwise required.
Normally, students will be considered for conditional admission to the program during, or immediately following, their first year of study at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Efforts related to identifying a graduate mentor and starting a research-based project in consultation with a graduate advisory committee (that meets MS committee requirements) are appropriate in and around or following the first year of veterinary study.
To be considered for conditional admission to the program, a student must have completed at least one semester of coursework required for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. A student must also coordinate the provision of three letters of recommendation and complete a personal interview with individuals who compose the Graduate Committee in the Department of Animal Science and College of Veterinary Medicine. Conditional admission of a student must be approved by both the Department of Animal Science, the Graduate School, and College of Veterinary Medicine.
The student must have earned a grade of at least a “B” in all A–F-graded courses eligible to be used for graduate credit; courses used for graduate credit (maximum 9 credit hours) must be approved by both the individual’s Graduate Committee and by the Department of Animal Science Graduate Director. These courses must be identified in advance, in consultation with the student’s Graduate Committee, and must be listed on the Animal Science Conditional Admission Form for the Five-Year DVM-MS program. The conditional application for admission form is obtained from the Animal Science Graduate Program Director and must be completed, signed, and submitted to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Graduate School for final approval and processing.
Conditional admission into this type of accelerated program does not guarantee acceptance into either the Graduate School or the MS program. Students will normally apply for admission to the Graduate School and to the MS program during their fourth year of study in the DVM program, following the same procedures that all other MS student applicants follow. At that time, GRE scores must be submitted as part of the application for admission into the Department of Animal Science. Students will be fully admitted to the MS program after they have been accepted both by the Graduate School and by the Animal Science MS program. Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are officially enrolled in the Department of Animal Science Graduate Program.
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