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BACKGROUND
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.
GUIDELINES
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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.
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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:
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Full-time in summer between Year I and II of
professional curriculum.
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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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