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Data-based Decisions (Continuous Improvement)

  • Surveys of graduate students graduating were initiated in 2003 and 2004. There is still not sufficient data to make decisions on information from the surveys.

    • Based upon feedback from students, beginning Fall semester 2006 the Department will encourage faculty that utilize graduate student teaching assistants to provide greater teaching opportunities for the assistants.


  • Alumni/Employer surveys of all alumni who can be contacted will be initiated for one-year and five-year post-graduation intervals in 2007.


  • To increase the proportion of graduate students to total students, a graduate student recruitment plan was incorporated into the ADVS Compact Plan. One new Departmental Assistantship was added in 2004 bringing the total to eight. Stipends have increased to $13,000/year for MS recipients and $15,000/year for PhD recipients in 2006. A new graduate student brochure was made available in 2004. The ADVS Department web page on graduate programs was improved and updated for 2005 and is more interactive and user friendly.


  • It was determined from Course evaluations that there was significant overlap in content between ADVS 6010 (Animal Research Orientation) and 6800 (ADVS Seminar). ADVS 6010 is no longer required for graduate students.


  • An initiative in the ADVS Compact Plan is to clarify and redefine graduate degrees and specializations that will better meet the career goals of graduate students. This will require restructuring graduate specializations and modifying course requirements. Most of the required courses in the Bioveterinary Science MS and PhD programs are now electives. This change will allow students and their supervisory committees to individualize programs to match student interest. Students in the MS program are now required to complete only the following courses: ADVS 6700 (General Animal Pathology), 6800 (Seminar); CHEM 5700 (General Biochemistry I); STAT 3000 (Statistics for Scientists). Students in the PhD program are required to complete the following courses: ADVS 6700 (General Animal Pathology), 6800 (Seminar); CHEM 5700 (General Biochemistry I), 5710 (General Biochemistry II) ; STAT 5200 (Design of Experiments). The Theriogenology specialization in Bioveterinary Science was dropped. The GPC is currently restructuring the Animal and Dairy Science Management specializations to be more in line with industry needs and training expectations.


  • The PhD preliminary examination is required by the School of Graduate Studies and is individualized by the student’s supervisory committee. The thesis/dissertation presentation, when possible, is given in the regular ADVS 6800 seminar. This provides the presenting student with a larger audience and serves as a mentoring tool for other graduate students who have not yet presented their completed research. The Department Head encourages faculty to attend defense presentations and the seminar is held at a time when it does not conflict with other ADVS graduate courses.


  • Less than 50% of thesis/dissertations are published in refereed journals. The Department Head will encourage major professors to ensure that their graduate students’ data is published in a timely manner. The GPC will track students on publication output and provide the information to the Department Head.


  • The Department is moving toward increasing diversity (ethnic, gender, geographical) in our faculty, especially given the increased prominence of diversity in the new USU mission statement. This will be supportive of several of the preceding decisions, particularly recruiting more graduate students with greater diversity and enhancing the graduate student experience in the Department.