Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Breeding

The Department of Animal Science offers graduate degree programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Animal Breeding.  Students pursuing graduate training in Animal Breeding will be working to provide new scientific discoveries to age-old livestock production problems to help producers and consumers.

The field of animal breeding and genetics research is more exciting than ever before, with projects such as bovine gene mapping and DNA sequencing. Using state of the art tools and facilities, the researchers at TAMU are able to contribute to the field of animal biotechnology on a worldwide level.  Laboratories available for graduate research include animal well-being cytogenetics, genomics, and molecular biology. The Robert Justus Kleberg, Jr. Animal and Food Science Center provides laboratories for research and graduate training across the Animal Science discipline, including Animal Breeding. Special equipment available in these laboratories or in readily accessible facilities, such as at the Computing Services Center, offer a wide array of opportunities for study and research.  Dairy, beef, horse and swine herds and sheep and goat flocks at the main station or at research centers afford opportunities to study various problems in Animal Breeding. Texas A&M AgriLife Research projects also offer opportunities for graduate students to participate in current research activities. Support areas such as biochemistry and biophysics, economics, genetics and statistics may be readily arranged. 

Students completing the Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Breeding will work with their thesis committee in order to design a degree and research plan that best meets their long-term objectives.  The final basis for granting the degree shall be the candidate’s grasp of the subject matter of Animal Breeding and a demonstrated ability to do independent research. In addition, the candidate must have acquired the ability to express thoughts clearly and convincingly in both oral and written form. The degree is not granted solely for the completion of coursework, residence and technical requirements, although these must be met.

Steps to Fulfill a Doctoral Program