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OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION
The Department of Comparative Pathobiology in the
School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University,
offers graduate instruction leading to the Master
of Science (M.S.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
degrees to persons possessing the D.V.M. degree and
to those with a baccalaureate degree and comprehensive
training in the biological sciences. Opportunities
for graduate training in basic and applied research
exist in several disciplines of comparative biomedical
sciences. These areas include bacteriology,
epidemiology, immunology, laboratory and experimental
medicine, parasitology, pathology, public health,
toxicology, and virology. The close association
of the veterinary school with the Indiana State Animal
Disease Diagnostic Laboratory provides an ideal environment
for practical training in bacteriology, pathology,
toxicology and virology. A new building for
the Indiana State Animal Diagnostic Laboratory was
completed in 1991. An addition nearly doubling
the size of the major building of the veterinary school
complex which houses the professional curriculum as
well as research laboratories was completed in 1995,
and provides an additional large multimedia information/library
center as well as classroom, laboratory and other
support facilities for the school.
Well-equipped laboratories, housing facilities for
both small and large experimental animals and other
supportive facilities are available. Modern
research methods of molecular biology, immunology,
biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and genetic
engineering are utilized in research and diagnostics.
Flow cytometry, cell culture, digital imaging, and
transmission or scanning electron microscopy are routinely
applied to studies of animal disease models and basic
problems in biology.
Graduate training in the department is designed to
prepare students for careers in academia, industry,
and government. Opportunities are also available
for those who wish to prepare for the specialty boards
in epidemiology, microbiology, pathology, and public
health. State-of-the-art capabilities in nucleic
acid and protein chemistry, molecular virology, drug
development, and other biomedical disciplines are
available within the University and its Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology Program and Centers for Cancer
and AIDS Research. A limited number of research
assistantships and fellowships as well as research
and graduate teaching instructorships are available
for outstanding applicants.
REQUIREMENTS
Students applying for admission
must be graduates of a veterinary or medical college
or hold a bachelor's degree in the biological sciences.
However, graduates in other fields may be accepted
with approval of the graduate faculty and department
head, if they have sufficient background in the biological
sciences. Applicants for the residency training
program in pathology must be graduates of an AVMA
accredited veterinary school.
The general graduate record examination is required
of applicants for all CPB graduate programs. A GRE
score of 1600 is required for unconditional admission
to Comparative Pathobiology graduate programs. A GRE
score of 1400 to 1599 is required for conditional
acceptance to Comparative Pathobiology graduate programs.
Students accepted conditionally will be required
to take at least two courses (6 credits) from the
following list:
BCHM 561, General Biochemistry I, 3 credits
BCHM 562, General Biochemistry II, 3 credits
BIOL 517, Molecular Biology: Proteins, 2 credits
BIOL 519, Molecular Biology: Nucleic Acids, 2 credits
BIOL 537, Immunobiology, 3 credits
BIOL 573, Molecular Biology of Animal Cells, 3 credits
STAT 503, Statistical Methods for Biology, 3 credits
STAT 514, Design of Experiments, 3 credits
They may substitute other courses recommended by
their faculty mentor(s) from the Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology,
and Epidemiology and Public Health sections, and approved by the Graduate
Studies Committee.
Students conditionally admitted will have to take
a minimum of six credits in addition to research credits
in each semester of the first year in the graduate
program. They must receive a "B" or better
for the two required courses and must maintain an
overall "B" average for all courses taken.
The purpose of this action is to make sure that students
with conditional admission can perform and succeed
in the Comparative Pathobiology graduate program to
which they have been admitted.
If a student fails to receive a "B" or
better for the two required courses or fails to maintain
an overall "B" average for all courses taken,
it will result in the dismissal of the student from
the program.
A minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL is required by
the Graduate School for all non-native speakers of
English for admission to Purdue University.
Since satisfactory scientific writing skills are considered
to be essential, the Comparative Pathobiology Department
has set a higher standard for minimal English proficiency
for all non-native English speaking students for unconditional
admission to CPB. This standard stipulates a
TOEFL score of 575 plus a TWE score of 4. The major professor and graduate
advisory committee will assist all students in development
of good scientific writing skills over the course
of the entire graduate training program.
All graduate teaching assistants or instructors,
whose first language is not English, must also demonstrate
adequate spoken English proficiency before assignment
to direct instruction of students.
The department has no foreign language requirement
for the Ph.D. degree, but any Ph.D. advisory committee
may require knowledge of a foreign language.
FIELDS OF STUDY
The department offers graduate study leading to the
degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.
Graduate students may choose their principal field
of study from one of the stated areas of specialization
within the department. Research programs within
these primary fields may include investigations of
the epidemiology and pathogenetic mechanisms of infectious,
metabolic, nutritional, parasitic, and toxicologic
diseases at both the cellular and subcellular levels.
Located under Academic Faculty on our web site, by clicking on a faculty member's name you will find listed current research interests of the graduate
faculty which indicates the variety of research opportunities
that are available. Off-campus research has
also been possible through collaborative agreements
with the Lovelace Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute,
Eli Lilly & Company, Marion Merrell Dow, The Chemical
Industry Institute of Toxicology, Genentech, U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Plum Island Animal Disease
Center, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Other arrangements may be made depending on the interests
of the individual student and a faculty sponsor.
FORMAL STUDY
The student, with the counsel of the major professor
and the advisory committee selected, will design a
plan of study to develop competence in a designated
area of interest. Course work may be selected
from a variety of academic disciplines to provide
sound preparation and understanding of the primary
area of research. Supportive course work is
selected from such fields as biology, biochemistry,
biostatistics, chemistry, education, molecular biology,
pharmacology, physiology, and toxicology. A
thesis is usually required for both M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees but a non-thesis M.S.-residency program is
available for anatomic and clinical pathology, as well as laboratory animal medicine.
MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY
The Comparative Pathobiology (CPB) Department in the
School of Veterinary Medicine is primarily concerned
with understanding the cause and pathogenesis of diseases
of animals. The goal is to apply this knowledge
to increase food-animal productivity and to improve
the health of man and animals.
The approximately 34 faculty, 50 graduate students,
and 35 support staff are sensitive to the needs of
society and the industries served by veterinary medicine.
Research, education, and diagnostic programs in the
department are periodically reviewed to determine
if these needs are being met. The faculty is
committed to addressing important problems that could
improve animal or human health and productivity.
The specific missions of the Department of Comparative
Pathobiology are to:
-- generate new knowledge
through basic and applied research .
-- educate students in professional
and graduate programs about the concepts and
principles
of pathobiology, human-animal interaction, clinical
epidemiology, and
public
health, including food safety concepts.
-- develop, apply, and evaluate
new technologies (e.g., diagnostics, therapeutics,
vaccines,
etc.) for improving health and productivity.
-- provide diagnostic and
epidemiologic investigational services to support
the
educational
program.
-- inform the public and
food-animal producers about issues of animal and
environmental
health, animal welfare, and the veterinary profession.
Comparative Pathobiology is currently organized into
three sections: anatomic and clinical pathology,
clinical epidemiology, and microbiology/immunology/public
health epidemiology. Many of the research and
educational programs of Purdue's Center for the Human-Animal
Bond are located within the Department of Comparative
Pathobiology.
The CPB department has implemented
a strategic plan intended to create an environment
of excellence for learning. As part of this
plan, a commitment was made to increase international
collaborations in our testing and research.
One strategy has been to recruit qualified graduate
students from less developed countries and to encourage
faculty involvement in international programs.
We have also increased ethnic and cultural diversity
within the department. Purdue University is an
equal opportunity / equal access / affirmative action
empoloyer / educator fully committed to achieving a
diverse workforce.
HISTORIC AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Veterinary medicine was first given formal recognition
at Purdue University through establishment of a Department
of Veterinary Science in 1887. The high quality
and productivity of the department led to the establishment
of the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
in 1947.
The School of Veterinary Medicine was created by
an act of the Indiana General Assembly in 1957 and
the first students matriculated in the fall of 1959.
This first class of 50 students and a faculty of 16
began classes in the old Veterinary Pathology Building
and then occupied a new veterinary medical building,
now known as Lynn Hall, in the fall of 1960.
The School has graduated 36 classes with over 2060
receiving the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
The four classes currently enrolled consist of approximately
260 students.
A two-year Veterinary Technology Program was approved
by the Indiana General Assembly in 1975 with the first
class of 24 students matriculating in June of that
year. Four hundred and fifty-six have received an
associate degree in veterinary technology. The two
classes currently enroll a total of 62 students.
A four year B.S. degree program for 30 students started
in 1998.
The School's three academic departments provide graduate
education for approximately 90 full-time students
each year. Approximately 20 percent of these
pursue concurrently an intern or residency program
in clinical medicine and surgery, while the remainder
follow more traditional master's and doctoral degree
programs. During 1974, the School initiated
a combined DVM-graduate degree program, which makes
it possible to complete a Ph.D. program within one
or two years following receipt of the D.V.M. degree.
Classroom and office space in Lynn Hall is also provided
for one of the regional programs of the Indiana University
School of Medicine. Approximately sixteen first-year
and second-year medical students utilize these facilities.
Many resources of the medical school and veterinary
medical school programs are merged to the mutual benefit
of each.
Since its beginning, the School has provided educational
programs to livestock producers and to veterinary
medical professionals. Beginning in 1973, this
activity was formalized and adult continuing education
is now an integral part of the School's mission in
education. Continuing education for veterinary
technologists was added to the Adult Education Program
in 1977. An extensive continuing education program
now offers diverse programs for practitioners throughout
the area. Development of distance learning programs
is now under development for both practicing veterinarians
and veterinary technicians.
The major service activities of the School consist
of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, a small animal
community practice, and an ambulatory farm practice.
The teaching hospital serves the primary animal health
needs of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and the referral
animal health service meets the needs of the State
of Indiana. For several years, the Veterinary
Teaching Hospital (VTH) has operated as a functional
unit separate from the academic department.
The Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory serves the
entire state of Indiana through its principal unit
on the West Lafayette Campus and a branch unit in
Southern Indiana.
Research is a major function of all academic departments.
This research is directed toward the disease problems
of farm livestock, companion animals and wildlife.
There is also a major research effort in the comparative
biomedical sciences.
The principal activities of the School are carried
out on a 34-acre tract on the southeast corner of
the West Lafayette Campus. The School has 152,640
assignable square feet for conduct of its major programs,
which includes 24,871 square feet of space for research
animal housing.
THE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
Information regarding the community, living expenses, on and off campus housing, restaurants, leisure activities, and so on can be found in "Tips for Graduate Living." This publication is available electronically at http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~pgsg/files/projects/gradtips.pdf.
Click on the Admissions heading of the Purdue
University Graduate School home page to obtain the
electronic application.
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