DVM/PhD Options
A
new professional curriculum in the LSU School of Veterinary
Medicine was initiated in the fall of 1997. This new curriculum
allows students a degree of self-direction in choosing an educational
path. Accordingly, in the last 60 weeks of the curriculum, a
student can choose from one of six concentrations for their
final phase (II) of study. One of these concentrations is the
Public Practice Concentration, which provides the flexibility
for a professional student to take graduate courses. Interest
of our DVM students and national needs for more DVM-PhD graduates
expressed by the AVMA and NIH and the flexibility of the new
curriculum prompted the initiation of this combined degree program.
Historically, most Schools of Veterinary Medicine in this country
offer the DVM-PhD opportunity. The models for doing so vary
between schools. In addition, the LSU Medical Center and the
LSU Dental School in New Orleans have such programs. These programs
are designed to provide research-training opportunities to highly
qualified and strongly motivated students to pursue academic
and research careers in the biomedical sciences while enrolled
in professional medical curricula. The time to complete both
degrees may be shortened by 1-2 years with a concurrent approach
rather than a sequential approach. This is a great advantage
to students already facing substantial educational debt loads.
The number of students interested in such a program is small,
generally on the order of 1-2 per year.
Program
Guidelines
* Students enrolled in this dual DVM-PhD program will follow
the criteria set forth in professional DVM degree program and
those for the PhD degree in the graduate concentration within
the Veterinary Medical Sciences program, which they chose to
pursue. The following points describe point?s specific to the
dual program.
* Eligible students must hold a baccalaureate degree, be accepted
by the Graduate School, and establish a program of study in
one of the SVM graduate concentrations. Acceptance into Graduate
School will precede the summer between Year I and II of the
professional curriculum.
* Students currently enrolled in the Veterinary Medical Sciences
PhD program may enter the program by acceptance into the DVM
program. This route of admission is only available by the concurrence
of the students advisory committee and the Dean.
* The time to completion of the professional degree (DVM) of
4 years will remain unchanged.
* Up to 32 weeks (including 8 vacation weeks) are available
in Phase II (last 1.25 years of 4 year program) of the professional
curriculum for students in the Public Practice (Government/Corporate)
Concentration, which scheduled properly would allow in excess
of a full semester of graduate study opportunity.
* Students accepted into this program will have an opportunity
to enroll in graduate courses in the following windows:
-
Full-time in summer between Year I and II of professional
curriculum.
- Full-time
in summer between Year II and III of professional curriculum.
- Full-time
in fall semester starting Year IV of the professional curriculum,
when courses can be taken as electives to satisfy the professional
degree requirements.
- Part-time
in other semesters of full-time professional course work for
selected course offerings with approval of the students graduate
committee.
- 7000
level graduate courses taken during Phase II (as per above)
will count toward the DVM degree requirement and be reflected
as such on the DVM transcript. (Approved by the SVM Courses
and Curriculum Committee, 07/15/98). Graduate credit earned
in excess of the DVM credit hour requirements will count toward
the graduate degree.
* Graduate courses taken during Phase II and credited toward
the DVM degree will be waived from the graduate degree program
of study. (Credit hour, and all the degree requirements of the
Graduate School remain unchanged).
* Following the DVM degree, full-time enrollment in the graduate
program will provide the balance of degree requirements for
the PhD.
* Tuition would only be prorated for those
semesters in which the student is enrolled in both professional
and graduate course work, and otherwise (e.g., summer semesters)
would be paid as per schedule.
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