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General
Information about the program (By
Laws for Graduate Degree Training)
The
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery offers graduate training
leading to the master of science degree through the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Emphasis Area in the Biomedical Sciences Degree Program.
The Department's graduate faculty
comprises more than 30 members with dynamic and diverse research
programs. Research areas include comparative
orthopaedics and oncology,
food animal, equine, and small animal medicine and surgery, physiology,
pharmacology, cell and molecular biology, imaging, neurology,
nuclear medicine, ophthalmology, and tissue engineering, among others.
Department research projects are supported by federal grants, state
funds, foundation awards and grants, corporate grants and contracts,
and intramural funds.
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Requirements
for Admission
•
Completion of a Bachelor’s or Professional degree (or equivalent
degree as approved by the Committee on Graduate Training)
• Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Acceptance by the University
of Missouri-Columbia Graduate School
• Identification of a faculty advisor within the Department
of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
• Identification of funding for the period of study and research
• Enrollment in the University of Missouri-Columbia system
• When appropriate, a score of 520 or greater on the Test
of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) exam
• When appropriate, a score of 220 or greater on the Test
of Spoken English (TSE) exam
The
Committee on Graduate Training reserves the right to waive any of
these requirements on an individual basis.
Of
Note
The
vast majority of the graduate students in the emphasis area of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery hold a DVM or equivalent degree. They are typically
concurrently completing clinical residency programs in the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital. Most are chosen for the clinical residency
program first and only then apply to the graduate degree program.
Many of the residency programs choose applicants through the “matching”
program administered through the American Association of Veterinary
Clinicians (http://www.virmp.org/virmp/).
Prospective graduate students who are not simultaneously participating
in a residency programs must identify a willing graduate mentor
first prior to application for our graduate program.
The
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery does not offer the
PhD degree, however, it is possible for clinical Residents with
advisors in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery to
apply for a PhD program in allied area programs. The Department
of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery does support Doctoral Faculty,
so advisors in our department would be available.
As the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery does not have
funding for full-time graduate students, applicants would need to
identify funding for the period of study and research. Options for
outside funding include:
a.
Graduate Student Support Program: Full-time graduate students
with qualifying titles, e.g., Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate
Teaching Assistant, Research Fellow, etc. may take advantage of
a tuition waiver, if hired at least 25% FTE to work in their respective
area, research or teaching.
b. Financial aid through various programs implemented
through the Graduate School (Graduate Website)
c. National Consortium for
Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc.
(GEM) to obtain MS degrees in engineering and PhD degrees in engineering
and the natural and physical sciences through a program of paid
summer internships and graduate financial assistance.
d. Identification of an advisor willing to help
support a research project from an ongoing grant.
If
you need further information after visiting this website and the
University's Graduate School website, please contact the Veterinary
Medicine and Surgery Director of Graduate Studies.
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How to
get started once you are here
1.
Application for acceptance to the Graduate School is completed electronically.
Students should indicate enrollment in the Master’s degree
program in Biomedical Sciences, emphasis area Veterinary Clinical
Sciences. Your application and any scanned documents will be transferred
to the Graduate School's Apply yourself Website whereby the respective
departments may access your information. For the Graduate School’s On-Line Application, application fee, and required documents please click here.
If you are requesting a waiver of the GRE, your advisor must write a letter explaining why it should be waived. This letter, along with your CV, should be submitted electronically to the chair of the department’s graduate studies committee. At the moment, the chair is Dr. Philip Johnson.
2. Check with the Graduate School (882-6311) and Registrar’s
office (882-7881) to make sure all of your paper work is complete,
and that you are accepted and enrolled.
3. Meet with your faculty advisor to discuss initial course work,
complete initial paper work, determine a program of study, a thesis
committee, and initial research plan outline.
4. Register for classes- New students should receive a packet with
information and pin number to register by phone; however, students
applying for graduate status on short notice usually have to pick
up the information at the Graduate School.
Permission numbers are usually required for graduate classes and may be obtained
in the respective department offering the course. Information on dates and deadlines can be found through the Registrar’s office (click here for the Registrar's office).
5. One of the benefits for Resident Veterinarians with clinical
duties in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital is an Educational
Assistance allowance which provides a 75% discount on 1-6 credits
per semester. Summer session is an exception in that only 3 credits
may qualify for the 75% discount. The student pays for the remaining
25% and any activity fees.
NOTE:
All interns and residents receive full benefits, including the option
of health coverage. You will want to be certain you do not pay for
an additional health benefit supplied by the Graduate School as
part of your activity fees. As a Resident Veterinarian, you will
be paying in-state tuition fees for graduate coursework.
The
Educational Assistance form may be accessed on line: click
here
Choose
the Human Resources forms from the drop-down menu, then choose “Authorization
for Educational Assistance” (UM 84-1), the excel file not
the PDF. Complete your sections of the form and give to staff in A384 Clydesdale Hall for department Chair's signature and to submit form to faculty and staff benefits.
6.
Complete forms M-1 (Program of Study), and M-2 (Thesis Committee).
They will require the signature of the director of graduate studies,
Dr. Cohn. – (click
here)
7. Schedule a meeting of your thesis committee within the first
two months you are here.
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By
Laws for Graduate Degree Training
The
goal of the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery emphasis area graduate
degree-training program is to prepare individuals for investigative
careers as specialists in veterinary medicine or as researchers
in academia, industry, or governmental settings. The graduate program
administered through the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
offers a Master’s degree, although students with mentors whose
academic home is within the department may be eligible for the Doctor
of Philosophy degree administered through the Pathobiology area
of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Additionally, the Doctor
of Philosophy degree can be pursued through other departments through
special arrangements with the student’s major advisor.
Organization
of the Graduate Degree Program of the Department of Veterinary Medicine
and Surgery
Governance of the program falls under the purview of both the departmental
Committee on Graduate Training and the emphasis area's Director
of Graduate Studies. The Committee on Graduate Training is appointed
by the Department Chair to three year terms of service, and the
Committee chooses a chairman from among its members. The Director
of Graduate Studies is appointed separately by the Department Chair
and serves for an indefinite period at the discretion of the Chair.
The Director of Graduate Studies serves as an ex officio member
of the Committee on Graduate Training.
Duties
of the Committee on Graduate Training and the Director of Graduate
studies are independent but may have some overlap. Duties of the
Committee on Graduate Training include maintenance of the department’s
master schedule of courses, approval of graduate candidates for
admission to the graduate degree program, the option to waive certain
requirements for admission to the program in special circumstances,
and recommendations for change in the By Laws for degree training
as appropriate. Any changes to the by-laws are recommended by the
Committee on Graduate Training but must be approved by a simple
majority vote of the Departmental Graduate Faculty. The Director
of Graduate Studies is charged with the primary responsibility for
maintaining the overall academic integrity of the graduate degree
program. The Director of Graduate Studies also serves a role in
promoting the educational and career success of individual graduate
students. Duties of the Director of Graduate Studies include reporting
to and communication with the University of Missouri Graduate School,
providing appropriate signatures on required forms for admission,
advancement, and graduation from the degree program, and cooperation
with the Committee on Graduate Training and Department Chair in
achieving the goals of the graduate training program.
Requirements
for the Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences, emphasis Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Once
enrolled, the graduate student, together with the student’s
major advisor, is responsible for seeing to the student’s
successful completion of the degree program. This includes the formation
of an appropriate individual graduate committee as well as an outlined
course of study sufficient to meet the requirements for granting
of a degree. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the student
to see that necessary forms are completed in a timely manner, and
that appropriate signatures are obtained and requirements are fulfilled.
Master’s
degrees will be conferred on candidates admitted to the graduate
degree program who satisfy the general requirements of the graduate
School and the specific requirement of the graduate program. Requirements
include:
•
Completion of all graduate work attempted at MU with a GPA of 3.0
or better.
• A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate course credit,
including at least 15 hours of graded, 8000-level course work. No
more than 40% of the 30-hour credit requirement can be satisfied
by Research, Readings, and Problems courses.
• As
part of their program of study during their enrollment in the Veterinary
Medicine and Surgery graduate degree program, graduate students must
receive a passing grade from an approved graduate-level experimental
design or statistics course. Following a request by the student’s
major advisor, this requirement may be waived by the departmental
graduate studies committee for those students who have successfully
completed a similar course previously.
•
All VMS graduate students must submit a report of progress and plans
regarding their degree program to the Departmental Graduate committee
by April 30 of each year they are enrolled in the program. This
report must be derived from the outcome of at least one annual meeting
of their graduate degree committee and must be signed by their major
advisor. An on-line
evaluation form is available for use by students and committees
to satisfy these requirements.
The Departmental Graduate committee will review all reports and
will schedule meetings with students and their advisors if deficiencies
are noted. Failure to comply may result in disqualification of the student. The major advisor will be disqualified from receiving internal discretionary grant funds during the following calendar year.
•
Completion of a thesis describing original investigative research
completed by the candidate. Detailed guidelines for preparation
of the thesis are available through the Graduate School.
• Documentation of a passing evaluation on the defense of
the thesis work by an examination committee (make up of the committee
is described in the graduate catalog) as well as demonstration of
mastery of the fundamental principles of the work included in the
course of study for the degree.
• The candidate must be enrolled at MU in the semester when
the thesis work is defended.
• The master’s degree must be completed within eight
years of enrollment from the time the student is accepted into the
degree program.
Required forms:
Before the second semester of work is completed, the candidate must
present a program of study via submission of the M-1 form to the
graduate school.
If changes become necessary to the approved program of study, a
Program of Study substitution form must be completed.
Before the first year of work is completed, the candidate must formulate
a thesis committee via submission of the M-2 form to the graduate
school.
If changes become necessary to the approved committee, a Change
of Committee form must be completed.
Two weeks prior to expected graduation, the examining committee
must submit to the graduate school the results of the Master’s
examination form M-3.
Other forms may need to be completed in certain circumstances. Please
see the graduate catalog for more detail. Click
here
Dismissal
Policy for the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Master’s Degree
Program
Students
may be dismissed for failure to maintain GPA standards, failure
of examination requirements (such as the thesis defense), excessive
time to degree requirements, and academic dishonesty. In addition,
the program may dismiss a graduate student who is deemed as not
making satisfactory progress toward their degree program requirements
by majority vote of the Committee on Graduate Training.
When
a question of unsatisfactory progress arises, the Director of Graduate
Studies and/or advisor will write to the student and recommend a
face-to-face meeting between the student and the faculty advisor.
If there is a disagreement on rate of progress between the advisor
and the student, the advisor should ask the student to submit a
separate letter to the Director of Graduate Studies. Copies of both
letters should be made available to the student, maintained in files
of the Director of Graduate Studies, and forwarded to the Graduate
School.
If
difficulties persist and the advisor and Director of Graduate Studies
agree that probation is appropriate, the student should be notified
in writing of the probationary period, which may vary from 30 days
to a full semester. The probation letter should state explicitly
that the student is on probation and state precisely what must be
accomplished, and by what date, in order to enable the student to
return to good standing and be removed from probation.
If
the student does not comply with the conditions of probation, a
letter (signed by both the faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate
Studies) should be sent to the student (copy to the Graduate School)
with notification of dismissal from the degree program. The Graduate
School can then send the student an official notice of dismissal
from the program.
A
student may appeal a dismissal to the Graduate Student Appeal Committee
in the Department. The committee will consider only written grievances
that are provided within a reasonable period of time when the grievable
matter occurred. The committee will make a written recommendation
to the Chair and Director of Graduate Student Appeals. The appeal
process is described in the Graduate School Catalog.
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