2023-2024 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Veterinary Biomedical Science (M.S.)
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The Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (VBS) program in the College of Veterinary Medicine is designed to train graduate students through excellence in teaching and innovative basic, applied, and clinical research that improves animal and human health. The program offers opportunities for DVM students to concurrently work on a dual degree program (DVM/MS) to gain research experience to enhance their career opportunities and to meet the demands of internships and residencies. The graduate faculty members in the program have established programmatic requirements, guided by the policies of the Graduate School, for admission, supervision, and completion of the MS degree.
Areas of Emphasis
The VBS program has three areas of emphasis or subdisciplines, Anatomy and Physiology, Clinical Sciences, and Pathobiology, which are under the supervision of the graduate faculty in the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, Clinical Sciences, and Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, respectively. The research activities of the graduate faculty are in specialized areas of Infectious and noninfectious diseases, including Zoonotic Diseases and Transboundary Diseases, metabolic diseases, Anatomy, Bacteriology, Epidemiology, Immunology, Parasitology, Pharmacology, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Nanotechnology, Physiological Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Companion Animal Health, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Cancer Biology and Treatment, Food Animal Health and Management, Food Safety and Security, Stem Cell Biology, and Translational Medicine. The research activities and discovery strengths of the faculty in the program are organized and focused in Centers and Institutes, which include the Beef Cattle Institute, Center of Epithelial Research, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), Center of Excellence for Translational and Comparative Oncology Research (CETCOR), Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE), Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology and the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health. In addition, graduate students in the program have opportunities to work with scientists in the federal research institutes, such as the Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit (ABADRU), a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) institute in Manhattan, KS to study vector borne diseases and the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility), formerly Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a USDA laboratory to study transboundary diseases
Program Options
The Veterinary Biomedical Sciences program offers three different academic plans to earn a MS degree:
Thesis:
As part of the degree program requirements, the student will complete a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 12 credit hours of research and will write and defend a thesis as the culminating experience for the degree.
Report:
As part of the degree program requirements, the student will complete 2 credit hours of master’s report. A master’s report is generally shorter than a thesis, and could include the results of a more limited original investigation. Alternatively, the report may be a review of the state of a particular scholarly or scientific problem, and in the case of clinical sciences or pathobiology disciplines it may include a case report. The student will write and submit the report as the culminating experience for the degree.
Non-Thesis/Non-Report (coursework):
The student’s degree program will consist of course work only, but could include evidence of scholarly efforts, such as term papers, as determined by the committee. An oral examination to assess the student’s competency in the courses listed in the program of study will serve as the culminating experience. The coursework only option is not available in the Clinical Sciences Area of Emphasis. Students also have the option of an accelerated, non-thesis, curriculum-only MS program that can be completed in one year.
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Admission Requirements
The Pathobiology Graduate Program in the College of Veterinary Medicine has the following requirements for admission:
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0 in the baccalaureate degree or DVM/VMD degree. In special circumstances, students with a 2.8 or 2.9/4.0 will be considered for a probationary admission. A majority of the admitted students have a degree in Veterinary Medicine, but DVM is not a requirement.
- A General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score is not required, but applicants are encouraged to take the examination and submit the scores with the application.
- International students from countries where English is not the native language must provide English language proficiency test scores , such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson Test of English (PTE).
- The most important considerations for admission are that applicants have documented academic achievement and an interest in an advanced study and research in the fields of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences.
In order to be considered for admission in the VBS program, applicants should contact individual graduate faculty in the program to identify research interests and research program. A willingness to accept the applicant as a graduate student by a faculty is a requirement for approval of the application for admission by the Executive Committee of the Graduate Program. The major professor will provide guidance and mentorship, and in most cases, a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA). If the professor does not have funding available to offer a GRA, the applicant could still choose to work under that professor if the student has alternate funding sources available (scholarships, fellowships, personal funds, etc.). An applicant that is not able to identify a major professor can still submit an application.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 30 semester hours of credit is required for completion of the Veterinary Biomedical Sciences MS Degree.
Regular MS Students:
Students with a bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit.
Dual-Degree DVM/MS Students:
Students with a bachelor’s degree who are concurrently pursuing the DVM degree at Kansas State University may apply up to 12 credit hours of relevant courses in the DVM curriculum toward both the DVM degree and the MS degree provided that the grades in these courses are consistent with Graduate School requirements. The specific courses from the veterinary medicine degree transcript for which credits are being claimed must be listed on the program of study under the transfer credit(s) section.
Post DVM Students:
Students with a DVM degree may apply up to 12 hours of credit from the veterinary medicine degree transcript toward the 30 semester hours of credit required for the MS degree. There is no need list specific courses, instead, in the transfer credit section, the university that granted the DVM degree and the year the degree was awarded should be listed.
Anatomy and Physiology
The Anatomy and Physiology Area of Emphasis is administered by the Graduate Faculty and Ancillary Graduate Faculty in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology. The Anatomy and Physiology Department offers two M.S. options: a research-based M.S. and a coursework based M.S.
Research Option
The primary goal of the Research Option in this Area of Emphasis is to prepare students for academic positions in various health science-related institutions such as Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, as well as positions in industry and agribusiness. Major research themes include epithelial physiology, stem cell biology and cancer, cardiopulmonary physiology, immunophysiology, neuroscience and pharmacology. These themes encompass the topics of cell signaling, epithelial cell solute transport, comparative exercise physiology, food animal immunophysiology, molecular biology of membranes, mechanisms of stress phenomena, molecular genetics and gene mapping, neural control of cardiovascular function, and pathophysiology of microcirculation. Research laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and instruments that support the many excellent opportunities for basic and applied research. Adjunct faculty members from other departments comprise a strong ancillary support group.
Course Requirements:
The student will present two seminars in addition to her or his oral final defense/examination to graduate.
Additional courses according to the needs of the student, and the recommendations of the major professor and the student’s supervisory committee,
One Year MS Program (non-thesis and non-report option)
The primary goal of coursework-based MS degree in the Anatomy and Physiology is to prepare students for successful entry into medical professional degree programs such as D.V.M., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., etc.
Course Requirements:
The following courses are required:
Culminating Experience Requirement:
In addition to the required coursework, students in the one-year master’s program must complete a culminating experience for the master’s degree. Students will consult with their major professor and supervisory committee to determine what the culminating experience will be. The culminating experience may or may not be taken for credit. Students can enroll in AP 898 - Master’s Report (2 credits) if desired to reflect their work on this experience as elective credits.
Clinical Sciences
The Clinical Sciences Area of Emphasis is administered by the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Clinical Sciences.
The primary goal of graduate study in the Clinical Sciences Area of Emphasis is to prepare students for careers in teaching, research, or service in a clinical specialty area or research and development program. Training in planning research projects and writing research proposals provide students the ability to function with teams of scientists from the fields of biomedical and clinical sciences. The student’s experience in teaching and literature study will form the basis for development of future teaching and research programs within his or her discipline. After completing graduate work the student will be better prepared to conduct research both independently and as a team member. In addition to the MS in clinical specialty fields (small animal, equine and large animal), students can earn MS degree in Production Animal Medicine. The department, along with the Veterinary Health Center and the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, has modern facilities and equipment for both basic and applied studies.
The Clinical Sciences area of emphasis for the Veterinary Biomedical Science master’s program can include full time graduate students, dual DVM/MS degree students, or concurrent clinical residency-MS program.
Off Campus Research:
In selected cases a student may conduct extensive research and training off campus. These activities must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee in advance.
Pathobiology
The Pathobiology Area of Emphasis is administered by the Graduate Faculty and Ancillary/Adjunct Graduate Faculty in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology.
The primary goal of graduate study in the Pathobiology Area of Emphasis is to prepare students for careers in teaching, research, or service related to animal production or animal health in academic institutions, industries, or in state and federal agencies. The MS program in the Pathobiology subdiscipline is managed by faculty involved in epidemiology, immunology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and prevention/control of infectious, metabolic, and parasitic diseases of animals and humans, food safety and security, public health and zoonosis, and clinical and anatomic pathology. The Pathobiology graduate program is sufficiently diverse to provide the critical mass and cross-disciplinary interactions necessary to offer high quality graduate training, yet focused to avoid dilution of resources and conflicts with other graduate programs. The scope and flexibility of the graduate program are notable strengths. Research laboratories are equipped with state-of-the- art facilities, equipment, and instruments to provide excellent opportunities for basic and applied research. The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), housed in the department, is fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Diagnosticians. The VDL is internationally recognized for its diagnostic capabilities for many important diseases of food and companion animals. Laboratories and support staff address all aspects of diagnosis from necropsy and histopathology, clinical pathology, serology, toxicology and detection of infectious agents.
Course Requirements:
2 credits.
- DMP 870 - Pathobiology Seminar (MS) Credits: 1 (one credit per semester)
One of the seminar courses, with the permission of the student’s supervisory committee, could be taken from a different program or department.
Additional courses according to the needs of the student, the recommendations of the major professor and the student’s supervisory committee.
Total Hours Required for Master’s: 30
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