School of Food and Agriculture

B.S. Degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences

The B.S. degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AVS) prepares students for admission to a college of veterinary medicine or graduate school, to teach science in secondary schools, to pursue technical sales and service work in agriculture, for careers in animal-related research, or to develop animal production enterprises such as dairy, livestock or equine farms.  About 20% of AVS graduates attend veterinary or medical school, the high rate of acceptance reflecting the quality of our program.  Students either follow the basic Animal Sciences curriculum, or declare a concentration in either Equine Sciences or Pre-Veterinary Sciences.  The Pre-Veterinary Sciences concentration includes courses that are required or recommended for admission to Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in North America.

An important aspect of the AVS degree is the requirement for hands-on experience with economically important domestic species. At the University’s J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center, AVS majors are given numerous opportunities to increase their competency with, and eventually manage, dairy cattle, sheep, and standardbred horses. We consider the experiential learning at the Witter Center to be a vital part of our students’ education because it allows them to use their knowledge to solve practical problems on a working farm.

For more information contact the Program Coordinator:  Jessica Majors (jessica.majors@maine.edu or 207.581.2938)

Apply to UMaine.

Program Goals and Learning Outcomes

Program Goals:
1. Students who complete the preveterinary concentration will be prepared for entry into colleges of veterinary medicine having gained a strong background in the basic sciences, applications to animal management, and appropriate practical experience with domestic animal species.

2. Students who complete the Animal Science degree program will be prepared for careers in animal science, biomedical science, and allied industries having gained a thorough understanding of animal biology emphasizing the interaction of nutrition, disease, anatomy, physiology, genetics, reproduction, environment, and management to maximize production and health of domestic animals.

Learning Outcomes:
After successful completion of the program students will be able to:

• Effectively communicate research results in an oral presentation and written paper.
• Summarize and critique a peer-reviewed journal article.
• Accurately assess the health or disease of animals through gathering and interpreting data.
• Describe the consequences of deficiency, excess, or imbalance of the required nutrients for a range of animals.
• Use multiple sources of information and methods to plan appropriate and cost effective rations for animals.