The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine offers the option to simultaneously pursue a veterinary degree and graduate training leading to a MS or PhD degree. This offers highly qualified and strongly motivated students the opportunity to prepare for research careers in the biomedical sciences. Students typically are able to meet the requirements of the MS and DVM degree in four to five years and the PhD degree and DVM degree in six to seven years. Applicants must be admitted to the Graduate School following acceptance into the College of Veterinary Medicine. To be eligible for Graduate School, the veterinary student must hold a baccalaureate degree, or equivalent credits, and possess an outstanding undergraduate record. Students should identify a faculty member with expertise in their area of research interest to serve as their major professor. Application to the Graduate School must be made through the academic department and/or interdisciplinary graduate program with which the major professor is affiliated. Subsequent course registration is the responsibility of the student, his/her major professor, and the academic department/graduate program.
Students have a wide choice of research training opportunities. Areas of concentration in the College of Veterinary Medicine include immunology and infectious diseases, cancer, neuroscience, musculoskeletal biology and orthopedics, and animal welfare and human-animal bond. Students may also elect to pursue graduate research at Purdue University in departments outside the College of Veterinary Medicine.
A research training program is tailored to the background and career goals of the individual student. Veterinary students typically enter the MS or PhD program during the first two years of veterinary school. They will select a major professor and an advisory committee. The student and his/her advisory committee will prepare a plan of study early in the program.
Graduate research may be scheduled during the summers after year 1 and year 2 of veterinary school. Students pursuing DVM/MS or DVM/PhD degrees can enroll in the DVM non-practice track for their fourth year of study. Nearly half of the coursework of the non-practice track in Year 4 may involve research for the graduate degree. The student will typically complete the graduate degree following receipt of the DVM degree.
For further information regarding the DVM/MS or DVM/PhD program, address inquiries to the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Office of Research or by email at vetresearch@purdue.edu.
