Graduate Study

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A broad range of both practical and basic research is conducted by students during the course of their graduate studies. Graduate students can obtain Masters and/or Ph.D. degrees with majors in Poultry Science, Nutrition, Physiology, Immunology, Toxicology, or Food Science, while being mentored by faculty members in Poultry Science. Minors can be obtained in a number of areas as well, including biotechnology, microbiology, food safety, etc. All graduate programs operate under existing graduate discipline rules, and each student must meet the guidelines of the graduate discipline(s) in which he/she is enrolled. An interdisciplinary approach to research problems is encouraged and excellent cooperation with other science departments exists throughout the campus.

A graduate student in the department can earn a Master of Poultry Science (non-thesis) or a Master of Science (thesis) in Poultry Science, Nutrition, Immunology or Physiology; as well as Doctoral degrees in Animal and Poultry Science, Physiology, Nutrition, Immunology, Toxicology, and Microbiology. Arrangements exist to provide research training in the Department of Poultry Science, which is applicable towards the M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science or in Microbiology.

As mentioned above, under the Undergraduate Program, a new combined five-year Bachelor/Masters degree program has recently been implemented for outstanding undergraduate Poultry Science majors. This program will reduce the time normally required to obtain a Masters degree from six to five years (see above).

Graduate assistantships (teaching and research) are available on a competitive basis through Poultry Science and/or the North Carolina Agriculture Research Service. Assistantships are very competitive with other institutions and require that the student spend 20 hours of work per week in the Department. The remainder of the week is available for a maximum of 9 credit hours of course work per semester. Out-of-state tuition waiver is available to all U.S. nationals who qualify for an assistantship for their first year on campus. They must then establish North Carolina residency to get in-state tuition during the remainder of their graduate program.