DVM-PhD Program
Introduction
Careers in veterinary research offer the opportunity to experience the excitement of discovery and to have national and international impacts on human and animal health. Veterinarians’ training provides them with a thorough understanding of animal physiology and disease, which uniquely qualifies them to integrate their knowledge into the development of animal models for human diseases. Veterinary research scientists are also critical for the support of U.S. agriculture because of their ability to find solutions to animal disease problems. The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine offers a DVM-PhD program whose goal is to prepare exceptional students for careers as veterinary scientists to meet these critical needs.
Mission
The mission of the MSU-CVM DVM-PhD program is to prepare exceptional students for careers as veterinary scientists to meet the nation’s critical needs in animal and human health research. It is the intent of the MSU-CVM DVM-PhD program to provide the full rigor of training from the DVM and PhD degrees as if they were pursued separately. The program is designed to integrate the research and clinical training programs so that students will experience a logical progression and level of responsibility throughout the program. It is also the intent of the program to provide a system of moral and financial support for the students who have committed to it.
Application Process
The simultaneous pursuit of DVM and PhD degrees requires a highly motivated student who can handle a rigorous course load. Students seeking admission to this program go through a two-step interview process. The student is interviewed for admission into the DVM professional education program and the graduate program of the college. A student admitted to the DVM-PhD program takes graduate coursework and after two years begins the DVM professional education curriculum. Completion of the DVM-PhD program will require 7 years in most cases; however, this is 1 to 2 years shorter than the time required to complete both degrees if they were pursued separately.
Program Structure
An applicant granted admission to the DVM-PhD program will initiate his/her PhD course work in the upcoming summer or fall semester and will remain engaged in graduate work until the fall semester two years later (see table below). Students admitted to the DVM-PhD program will have a position reserved in the DVM program two years subsequent to starting the DVM-PhD program as long as the student progressed appropriately during the initial two years of the PhD program. Upon successful completion of graduate coursework (maintaining a 3.0 GPA), a successful preliminary defense, and acceptance of a research proposal in the format of a federal agency grant proposal by the student’s PhD committee, the student will continue in the DVM-PhD program and begin the DVM professional curriculum. Once the student has entered the DVM curriculum, he or she will matriculate through the DVM program with the same class he/she enters the curriculum with. The final year of the program will be spent completing the PhD research, writing, and defending the dissertation.
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COURSE BLOCKS |
||
Year of Program |
BLOCK 1 |
BLOCK 2 |
BLOCK 3 |
1 |
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
3 |
Research |
Begin Professional Curriculum Year 1 |
Complete Professional Curriculum Year 1 |
4 |
|
Year 2 Professional Curriculum |
Year 2 Professional Curriculum |
5 |
Year 3 rotations |
Year 3 rotations |
Early entry in to Year 4 rotations |
6 |
|
|
|
7 |
Available if necessary to complete the PhD degree |
Available if necessary to complete the PhD degree |
Available if necessary to complete the PhD degree |
Financial Support
During semesters when a student is engaged in graduate course work and/or dissertation research hours, he or she will receive a graduate stipend at the standard rate for MSU-CVM. The graduate stipend includes tuition waiver.
DVM-PhD students in good standing will receive a $40,000 tuition remission to be applied toward their DVM tuition.
For more information about the program, contact:
Dr. Mark Lawrence
Chair, DVM-PhD Steering Committee
or Dr. John Harkness
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine
E-mail: lawrence@cvm.msstate.edu; pruett@cvm.msstate.edu
Telephone: Lawrence: 662-325-1195; Harkness: 662-325-1205
