About the Program
The Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. The department’s mission is to educate members of the veterinary health care team and biomedical community, to create and communicate knowledge, and to provide outstanding clinical service for the citizens of Indiana and surrounding region. Graduate training in clinical and translational research may be pursued in a number of fields including Anesthesiology and Pain Management, Behavior Medicine, Cardiology, Clinical Epidemiology and Population Medicine, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging (Radiology), Emergency and Critical Care, Large Animal Internal Medicine, Large Animal Surgery, Medical Oncology, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Production Medicine (Food Animal, Ruminant and Swine), Radiation Oncology, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Small Animal Surgery, and Theriogenology. The VCS Department, along with the Purdue Veterinary Hospital, has state of the art facilities, equipment and infrastructure for studying the health and diseases of animals, conducting clinical trials and performing translational research. The VCS residency programs, designed to train veterinarians for specialty clinical practice, are combined with the graduate program. While the requirements for the M.S. non-thesis or thesis degree can usually be completed in a shorter time period (two years), the duration of a combined Residency/M.S. program is usually three years, reflecting the time required to satisfy the objectives of both programs. The duration of a combined Residency/Ph.D. program should be aminimum of five years, reflecting the time required to satisfy the objectives of both programs. Master’s students can pursue a thesis or non-thesis option. See below for each set of requirements. Program Website Program Requirements - Thesis & Non-thesis
30 Credits RequiredRequired Courses (8-12 credits)
Core Courses (4-6 credits)
Students must take two semesters/a year of VCS 63000. The course entails one-to-two hour sessions organized and conducted weekly by VCS graduate students, with input/discussion from the attending VCS faculty. Alternating weekly topic sessions may include journal club and morbidity and mortality patient rounds or other topics appropriate to the specialty. Biostatistics Course (2-3 credits)
Choose one. Seminars (2-3 credits)
Seminars provide a forum for residents, interns, and graduate students to create, deliver, observe, and critique seminars for veterinarians, the scientific community, and veterinary students. For students seeking the thesis MS, two semesters of a seminar series course is required, one of which must be VCS 62000. In addition, two semesters of research/presentation seminars are required, which can include VCS 62000 and CPB 69700, or be a conference presentation or other appropriate forum. A research seminar presented in a seminar course can be applied to both seminar requirements, so students can take one instance of VCS 62000 and one instance of CPB 69700 and fulfill both requirements. For students seeking the non-thesis MS, three semesters of VCS 62000 are required. The research/presentation seminar component is not required. Area of Study (3-21 credits)
The plan of study should include a primary area of study and may include a related area or areas that are chosen on the basis of the student’s interests and needs. The plan of study is an individualized curriculum designed by the advisory committee to assist the student in achieving educational objectives. Research areas include: anesthesiology; animal behavior; beef production medicine; comparative cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology; comparative oncology; dairy production medicine; diagnostic imaging; endocronology; equine orthopedic surgery; equine medicine; equine soft tissue and reproductive surgery; equine sports medicine; farm animal surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; small animal emergency and critical care medicine; small animal medicine; small animal soft tissue and surgery; and swine production medicine. To read more about each, visit the Research Specialties page. Thesis Research (7-10 credits)
Only required for MS thesis students. The thesis must be original and include at least one paper written in a format suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Before thesis defense, students must take at least one course in the responsible conduct of research, listed below. Clinical Training (0-6 credits)
2-6 credits of Clinical Training is required for Residency/M.S. graduate students, who must register for this course each semester working in the clinic. For graduate students not concurrently completing residency training, this is an elective course. Concentrations
Departmental concentrations: Program Learning Outcomes
Students will: - Understand the scientific method,
- Think critically and creatively about problems in the field of study.
- Effectively communicate in the field of study.
- Conduct activities in an ethical and responsible manner.
GPA Requirements
To maintain good standing in the graduate program a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0). A graduate student is expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA. A graduate student who possesses less than a 2.0 semester or cumulative GPA will be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation shall be dropped from the University at the close of any fall or spring semester in which their semester and cumulative GPA is less than a 2.0. Graduate Programs Disclaimer
- The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
- Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary.
- Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
- Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
- Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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