Prospective Graduate Students

We appreciate your interest in the Animal, Dairy, & Veterinary Science department. We offer a pre-application process to assist you in finding a laboratory and identify funding prior to formally applying. We ask potential students to contact faculty members directly to find an lab opening. To be considered for a departmental assistantship we require you to complete a pre-application and provide all your GRE scores by the following dates.

Fall Semester

August 1st

Spring Semester

November 1st

Summer Semester

March 1st

Departmental Contacts

Dr. Lee Rickords

Graduate Program Director

(435) 797-2195
lee.rickords@usu.edu

Brenda Poulsen

Graduate Program Coordinator

(435) 797-2162
brenda.poulsen@usu.edu

Pre-Application Process

1

Pre-Application

Please note that all applicants must meet the following general admission requirements:

  • A bachelor's degree from an accredited college, with a 3.0 GPA for the last 90 quarter or 60 semester credits earned, is required. 
  • Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). A score equal to or above the 40th percentile in both the verbal and quantitative sections is required. If one of the scores is below the 40th percentile, a petition can be made for further consideration. 
  • Student recommendation request forms (included in application material) should be used to request three people to submit letters of recommendation directly to the Graduate School. Two letters of recommendation should be from faculty from whom you have taken course work.
  • Provide a Statement of Purpose outlining your research interest, experience, and goals.
  • Applicants for a graduate program in animal or dairy science should have completed a BS undergraduate program similar to the science specialization of the USU animal science or dairy science BS degree. This background includes the following courses and their prerequisites:  ADD COURSES HERE
  • Applicants with deficiencies in these areas may be admitted to the graduate program subject to the completion of remedial course work specified by the department. Other preparatory courses may be specified by the student's supervisory committee.
 
2

Contact potential faculty members to find open laboratory positions and funding options (if needed)

View our research areas and follow up with that area's faculty contact.
Research Areas

Current openings
Dr. Shawn Zimmerman - (Competitive Funding) The Zimmerman laboratory ahs an opening for a PhD graduate student. Our research focuses on studying bacterial-host interactions. Successful candidates will have form undergraduate education in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or a biomedical field. Preference will be given to individuals with prior laboratory experience in microbiology and/or molecular biology. If interested, please email a current resume, contact information for three references, and a cover letter indicating your experience and research interests to Dr. Shawn Zimmerman (shawn.zimmerman@usu.edu).

Dr. Jeff Mason - (Competitive Funding) The Mason Laboratory at Utah State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences is seeking an outstanding Graduate Student to join our laboratory. This position is jointly supported by the NIH/NIA, the USU School of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences.

Research in the Mason lab is broadly focused on elucidating the mechanisms of menopause-associated, ovarian-dependent increase in disease rates. Work in this lab focuses on the surgical and molecular manipulation of ovarian function in mice to discover the mechanisms underlying the negative physiological consequences of female reproductive senescence. We have previously extended life and health span with our ovarian manipulations. The goal of the current work is to understand the physical and genetic mechanisms that provide the health-protective effects of the ovaries and harness these mechanisms to restore health in post-reproductive females. Additional work may include orthopedic disease models in sheep and horses.

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated and creative with an interest in reproductive biology and/or aging biology. The successful candidate should have a background in biology, animal science, biomedical science or related field and must meet the admission requirements for graduate students set by Utah State University Graduate Studies (https://gradschool.usu.edu/) and the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences graduate program (https://advs.usu.edu/students/degrees). Applicant experience in rodent handling and histology/pathological analysis are desired, but not required. Preference will be given to candidates that also have some molecular experience (DNA/RNA/protein extraction and analysis) or experience with histology and/or genetic manipulation. Interested candidates should send a cover letter that includes current research interests to Dr. Jeffrey Mason (jeff.mason@usu.edu).

 
3

Stay in touch with the department

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This can feel like a hurry up and wait project.  If you have not heard back please feel free to contact Brenda Poulsen the Graduate Program Coordinator to inquire on the progress of your applications.  Please take this time to review information about USU's campus and community.

 
4

Formal Application to Utah State University through the Graduate School.

The formal process requires official transcripts, scores, and letters of recommendation.  This can all be completed through the application portal.

Admission Policies   Formal Application

 
5

Come to USU!

Each incoming cohort should arrive one week prior to the semester beginning to complete paperwork.  A graduate student orientation meeting is held the first week of classes. 
USU Housing Services   USU School of Graduate Studies   Department Website