One of the requirements for students to be recommended for a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science is to complete course work for either the animal industry, animal biology and pre-veterinary medicine, companion and exotic animal biology, or production animal scholars concentrations.

Who are Production Animal Scholars?

In May 2005, Michigan State University approved an undergraduate program that will prepare students for a career in herd-based, production medicine and agricultural veterinary practice. In addition to current preveterinary requirements students enrolled in Production Medicine Scholars will also study farm finance, statistics, advanced sciences and will experience farm management. So, Production Animal Scholars are students in a special concentration of study within the Department of Animal Science.

Production Animal Scholars will provide an additional pathway to admission into the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) professional program. Within the pool of Production Animal Scholars, there will be a competitive selection process in which up to ten (10) students who have addressed the requirements may be granted admission each year into the professional veterinary medicine program. Application to CVM can be made midway through the bachelor's degree program. Successful applicants will be granted admission, contingent on completion of their bachelor's degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Production Animal Scholars. Accepted students must maintain a 3.2 GPA through the rest of their undergraduate studies. Typically students will be accepted into CVM two years before they actually start the professional program.

Students who are interested in production livestock agriculture and veterinary medicine as a career should consider enrollment in the Production Animal Scholars concentration. However, this concentration must not be viewed as an easy method to gain acceptance into the professional veterinary medical program. Within Production Animal Scholars, the academic requirements are high, the level of work is rigorous and the standards for CVM admission are uncompromised.

Eligibility

The Department of Animal Science will coordinate the program. All Production Animal Scholars will be majors in Animal Science. There will be forthright discussions about professional goals and high academic performance will be required. The Department of Animal Science will not impose any entrance requirements or selection criteria for a student to be a Production Animal Scholars.

Requirements to apply to CVM through Production Animal Scholars:

• Completion of at least 27 credits of required preveterinary courses and at least 10 credits from additional courses required for the Production Animal Scholars concentration.
• At least 240 hours of veterinary exposure. At least 160 of these 240 hours must be associated with livestock.
• Confidential evaluations from the faculty mentor in Animal Science and other faculty
• Three additional letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a veterinarian.
• Completion of either the MCAT or GRE examination
• A strong commitment to livestock agriculture. This can be demonstrated with youth activities, family experiences, employment, extracurricular activities or other forms of service or activities within the livestock industry. It is not necessary to be raised on a farm to qualify. There are many ways that any student from diverse backgrounds may demonstrate a commitment to livestock agriculture.
• Students selected for the CVM professional program through the Production Animal Scholars pathway will have a scholastic indicator score within the range of the scholastic indicator scores in the class admitted in the previous year.

Students at Michigan State University who are majoring in Animal Science may wish to enter the professional veterinary medical program without the Production Animal Scholars concentration. These students may apply through the regular veterinary admission process.

All candidates for the professional veterinary medical program, including Production Animal Scholars, will be selected by the College of Veterinary Medicine Committee on Student Admission. Except for letters from mentors, the Department of Animal Science will not have any direct role on the process to select students for the professional veterinary medical program. Up to ten (10) students who are Production Animal Scholars may be admitted each year into the professional veterinary medical program. However, if no Production Animal Scholar candidates met the standards for performance and selection, none will be accepted. Therefore, Production Animal Scholars is intended to be rigorous and focused on knowledge to enhance livestock production medicine. In addition to the academic requirements, Production Animal Scholars will participate in field trips and seminars.

Application and Admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine:

• On or before July 1 after sophomore year, an applicant will send a letter to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The letter will state the intention of the student to apply to the professional program in veterinary medicine.
• To intend to apply a student must have completed the application requirements stated above, taken the GRE or MCAT exams.
• If CVM agrees that the student has fulfilled requirements to apply, CVM will send an application packet to the student. All aspects of this application packet must be completed and submitted to CVM on or before September 1.
• A subcommittee of the Admissions Committee will review the completed application. This group will decide if the student should be interviewed.
• For those students interviewed, this process will occur during October.
• If the Scholastic Indicator Score is within the range of students accepted for the previous year, they will be accepted and notified.
• Students who are not accepted into CVM as Production Medicine Scholars may request that their application should be in the pool of all other applicants.
• The first applicants will be processed in 2006.
• Typically a student will apply and be admitted two years before they actually start the professional program within CVM. This will allow for completion of the undergraduate program in Animal Science/Production Animal Scholars.

The Departments of Animal Science and Large Animal Clinical Sciences are very excited about this new educational opportunity for future veterinarians. In addition, we are enthusiastic and optimistic that this program will address the current shortage of production medicine veterinarians.

Curriculum

The table below lists the course requirements for the Production Animal Scholars Option. This curriculum will fulfill requirements for preveterinary medicine at Michigan State University.

If a course is not offered every semester, that is noted in the course description column (F=offered Fall Semester, S=offered Spring Semester, SU=offered Summer Semester).

For more information about the production medicine scholars program contact:

Roy Fogwell
1250 Anthony Hall
Department of Animal Science
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
phone: 517-432-1385
e-mail: fogwell@msu.edu