The Master of Agriculture in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences is a non-thesis option offered both on-campus and on-line. Student are required to complete 30 hours of coursework as approved by his/her graduate committee. Students will also have to complete a scholarly activity, participate in research projects, and develop a scholarly document focused on the subject area.The Animal and Dairy Sciences program offers graduate study toward the Master of Science (thesis) in Agriculture with a concentration in Animal Science; the Master of Agriculture with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences (non-thesis); and Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal Science, Master of Agriculture (non-thesis option), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Sciences.

Master of Agriculture with Animal and Dairy Sciences Concentration - Non-Thesis:
The Master of Agriculture degree is a non-thesis advanced degree designed to prepare graduates for careers or professional schools. A concentration is selected and students develop a program of study with approval by the student's graduate committee in accordance with Graduate School policy and course requirements for the concentration. Students are required to complete 30 hours of coursework as approved by the graduate committee. Some Directed Individual Study courses, numbered at the 7000 level, may be approved to meet the 8000-level requirement. Not more than 6 hours of graduate credit may be earned in Direct Individual Study courses. Students will also have to complete a scholarly activity, participate in research projects, and develop a scholarly document focused on subject area. The program is offered on the Starkville Campus and through the Center for Distance Education.

Graduate Seminar    2
(ADS 8111 [repeatable] is suggested course.)
Statistics    8
(ST 8114, ADS 8004, or ST 8124 are suggested courses.)
Biochemistry    3
(ADS 8333, BCH 6013, BCH 6603, or BCH 6613 are suggested courses.)
Directed Individual Study    3
Graduate-level coursework 1    14
Total Hours    30
1    
 At least 15 hours of coursework must be taken at the 8000 level.

Provisional Admission

An applicant who has not fully met the GPA requirement stipulated by the University may be admitted on a provisional basis. See Provisional Admission Requirements in this Catalog. 

Academic Performance

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences adheres to the academic performance standards of the Graduate School and CALS. Students are referred to these criteria for provisional admission, contingent admission, academic performance, and dismissal policies.

To graduate, the student must complete all University and degree program requirements listed in the Graduate Catalog under which he/she began the program. A graduate student cannot graduate under any of the following circumstances. 

1. A GPA lower than 3.00 for all courses attempted for graduate credit after admission to the degree program or
2. A grade of D or lower on the program of study or
3. More than two courses (not exceeding 9 credit hours) with a grade of C or lower earned for all courses since admission into the program,k including those outside the program of study* or
4. A U grade in thesis or dissertation research credit in the final semester or
5. A grade of I (Incomplete) on his/her transcript.

*NOTE: The original grade for a course that is retaken will not be included in the 8 hours. However the original grade is included as part of the calculation of the GPA. See the Course Course Retake Policy section for additional details.

No graduate courses with pass/fail credit are accepted as part of a graduate program. Grades of pass/fail are not awarded at MSU and cannot be transferred to MSU.

A GPA of 3.00 on the minor coursework is required for students completing a minor.

Admission Criteria

A minimum of 3.00 GPA is required for all programs (Master of Science, Master of Agriculture, and Doctor of Philosophy).  Individual faculty serving as major professors may have additional requirements for students they advise. Therefore, it is advisable that a prospective student contact faculty with whom he/she is interested in working to determine if they have additional admission requirements. An international applicant is required to have a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 575 PBT (84 iBT) or an IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) score of 7.0 or higher to be considered for admission.

Tuition fee-2 years$50,000

Total fee-2 years$92,000