The Poultry Science Baccalaureate-Master’s degree (ABM) program offers Poultry Science students in the Science Curriculum the opportunity to complete requirements for both a bachelor’s and master’s degree within 5 or 5 1/2 years, depending on the choice of curriculum.

The combined degree program was developed for academically advanced undergraduate students at NC State to double count up to 12 credit hours and obtain a non-thesis Master’s degree (MOP) in the same field within 12 months of completing the Baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degree or obtain a thesis-based Master’s degree (MS) in the same field within 18 months of completing the Baccalaureate degree.

To be admitted, students must satisfy the following requirements:

• Completed 75-96 credit hours in their undergraduate programs, including credits earned from advanced placement (AP).
• Transfer students must have completed two semesters as a full-time student at NC State and earned a minimum of 24 credit hours.
• Have a minimum accumulated grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 (out of 4.0) at NC State.
• Students must complete their bachelor degree (BS) requirements on time (by the end of the fourth year).
• Students will generally follow the rules shown below for Masters students.

The Graduate Advisory Committee for a Master of Poultry Science degree consists of a Major Advisor and at least two other Graduate Faculty members, one of whom must be from a department other than Poultry Science. This committee should be formed by the end of the first semester of study. The membership of the committee can be altered if the student’s interests change.

A specific “Plan of Graduate Work” is to be developed by the Major Advisor and the student. This program, which is solely made up of course work, must be approved by the Graduate Advisory Committee, the Director of Graduate Programs, and the Graduate School no later than the end of the first year of study.

A minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the Master of Poultry Science. A majority of the course work (at least 20 hours) will be in poultry science and sufficient additional credits will be taken to satisfy interests of the student and requirements of the Graduate Advisory Committee. A minor is not normally included.

The Graduate Advisory Committee for a Master of Science degree consists of a Major Advisor and at least two other Graduate Faculty members, one of whom represents the minor area. At least one faculty member must be from a department other than Poultry Science. This Committee should be formed by the end of the first semester of study. The membership of the committee can be altered if the student’s research direction changes.

A specific “Plan of Graduate Work” is to be developed by the Major Advisor and the student. This program of course work, along with a thesis problem, must be approved by the Graduate Advisory Committee, the Director of Graduate Programs, and the Graduate School no later than the end of the first year of study.

While a minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the Master of Science, most programs exceed this minimum. A majority of the course work (at least 20 hours) will be in poultry science and sufficient additional credits will be taken to satisfy any minor requirements. A minor may be in a single field (e.g., physiology), a split minor in two fields (e.g., physiology, nutrition), or interdisciplinary (various courses selected by the advisory committee). In the case of a split minor, each of the minor areas must be represented in the Graduate Advisory Committee and these situations may require an additional committee member to represent the second minor area. The interdisciplinary minor normally includes at least three courses from outside the student’s major department or program and courses from two or more areas. The interdisciplinary minor representative must be from outside the major department or program and should be selected on the basis of his/her expertise and Graduate Faculty Membership in the interdisciplinary area.

The Professional Science Master concentration is a non-thesis, applied degree program designed to address the combined business management and technology needs of the poultry industry, agricultural extension service, government and regulatory agencies, and many industries that are allied with the poultry industry (i.e. feed ingredient suppliers, animal health companies, equipment suppliers, transportation providers, legal and trade services, etc.).

The curriculum requires 36 credit hours of coursework, which will include up to 6 credit hours of a directed project taken as Special Problems (PO 620). Students will select courses with an emphasis in the various aspects of poultry production (breeder and hatchery management, live production, feed milling, and processing), and may complete a graduate certificate in Feed Science and/or Poultry Science simultaneously if desired.

At a minimum, 15-16 credit hours of poultry science (500-800 level poultry science courses) or feed milling (500-level feed milling courses) are required (excluding the directed project), with the balance of courses from other science disciplines to total 21-24 credit hours.  The requirement for Professional Development (Plus) courses is at least 9 credits and at most 12 credits, leaving 6 credits for science or management electives.  The professional skills component is designed to match student career goals and consists of a variety of relevant courses and activities developed in consultation with prospective employers and faculty mentors. These professional skills sets may be focused on finance and budgeting, leadership and entrepreneurship, project and operations management, sales and marketing, or communications and public relations.  These professional skills courses will result in a portfolio of experiences recognized by and involving client employers.