The Department of Animal Sciences is the largest department in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, with more than 450 undergraduate students. The Department offers the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. Also offered are minors in Animal Sciences and Equine Science.
The mission of the Animal Sciences undergraduate program is to educate qualified and motivated students in the animal sciences so that they are equipped to succeed in areas of food animal agriculture. The Animal Sciences curriculum is designed to instill knowledge of, and to discover interrelationships between mathematics, statistics, and the physical, chemical, biological, social, and environmental sciences as related to animal production and well-being, and products of animal origin. The main disciplines in the curriculum are animal breeding and molecular genetics, nutrition, physiology, safety and quality of animal products, management and production, and science/preprofessional interests. The animal species of focus in the curriculum include beef and dairy cattle, poultry, horses, sheep, and swine. Graduates of the major will be qualified for employment in any number of positions requiring sophisticated knowledge of animals, their management, and economical production. Qualified graduates of the major will also possess strong credentials necessary for acceptance into graduate and professional degree programs.
An important facet of undergraduate education in the Department of Animal Sciences is the education of students through "hands on experiences." Each student in the Department is required to complete an internship experience of at least 200 work hours. Students are also involved in departmentally sponsored, studentmanaged organizations such as the Buckeye Dairy Club, Horsemen's Association, Poultry Science Club, and Saddle and Sirloin Club, as well as judging teams: the Livestock Selection and Evaluation Team, the Equine Selection and Evaluation Team, the Dairy Cattle Judging Team, the Meat Judging Team, and the Poultry Evaluation and Selection Team. These teams represent The Ohio State University in regional and national competitions, affording their members an opportunity to meet students from across the U.S. and to gain an appreciation of current industry standards for livestock. Team members also gain skills in observation, logical thinking, and communication. In addition, each year teams of four students compete in an academic quadrathlon designed to test students' comprehensive knowledge of the animal sciences. The quadrathlon includes a laboratory practicurn, quiz bowl, public presentation, and a written exam. The winning quadrathlon team represents The Ohio State University in a regional contest held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Midwest sections of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association.
| For more information about the Department of Animal Sciences' undergraduate program contact: Ms. Amy Lahmers, Student Services Coordinator, Department of Animal Sciences, 116 Plumb Hall, 2027 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1094; phone: (614) 292-7156, email: lahmers.8@osu.edu; Dr. Peter Spike, Undergraduate Coordinating Advisor, 116 Plumb Hall, 2027 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1094, phone: (614) 688-3112, email: spike.1@osu.edu; or Dr. Keith Irvin, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Department of Animal Sciences, 110 Animal Science Building, 2029 Fyffe Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1095, phone: (614) 292-6407, email: irvin.3@osu.edu. Web site: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ansci/ |