Students

Undergraduate Education

The Department of Animal Sciences offers the animal sciences major for students wishing to obtain a BS in agriculture or a BS in nutrition. Through the joint Veterinary Technology program between Ohio State and the Columbus State Community College (CSCC), students may obtain a BS in agriculture from The Ohio State University and an Associate of Applied Science degree in veterinary technology at the Columbus State Community College. The department also offers the life science minor for animal sciences students and Ohio State students. For non-animal sciences majors, OSU students may minor in the animal sciences minor, equine science minor, and meat science minor.

Graduate Education

About 40 to 50 graduate students are enrolled in the Graduate Studies Program at the Department of Animal Sciences each year to receive a MS or PhD degree. The Graduate Studies Program takes pride in the diversity in the student population and the multiple interdisciplinary opportunities that provide in-depth exposure to research in other countries, industry, and government entities. The department offers many interdisciplinary graduate programs through the Ohio State University Nutrition (OSUN) program, Environmental Science Graduate Program (ESGP), the OSU Aquaculture Program, collaborations with the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) and The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine, the USDA, and with international programs in Australia and Brazil.

Student Population

As of August 2011 we have approximately 607 undergraduate students. Of these, 78 percent are women and 22 percent are men. A breakdown by rank indicates that 18 percent are freshmen, 23 percent are sophomores, 28 percent are juniors, and 31 percent are seniors with 9 percent of these indicating non-white ethnicity.

Full-time graduate students enrolled in Autumn 2012 totaled 33; of these 54 percent are women and 45 percent are men. Fifty-four percent are pursuing an MS and 45 percent a PhD. Domestic students comprise 72 percent of the student population, and 27 percent are international. Historically, around three-fourths of our students hold either graduate research assistantships or fellowships. Our faculty also advise several PhD students who are enrolled in interdisciplinary programs.

The Ohio State University’s Autumn 2012 undergraduate enrollment for all campuses totaled 63,058 with over 89 percent on the Columbus campus. In addition to the undergraduate population, in Columbus we had 10,297 graduate students and 3,295 professional students enrolled. Ohio State offers over 175 undergraduate majors, 115 master’s degree programs, and 90+ doctoral degree programs.

Faculty/Staff

The department is characterized by our nationally renowned, highly esteemed and awarded faculty members who are dedicated to student education, outreach, and research.

We have 31 “regular” faculty members (68% are in Columbus and 32% are in Wooster) and nine faculty who hold “courtesy” appointments with us. There are nearly 74 staff members in the Department who are situated in various locations in the State.

Ohio State employs 6,509 regular, clinical, research, and auxiliary faculty, 22,372 staff, and 13,624 students.

Locations and Facilities

We support research facilities and animals at the main campus in Columbus, at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, and at several research branches located throughout the state. Complementing our facilities are resources at Ohio State’s other professional program areas: biology, medicine, veterinary medicine, chemistry, mathematics, physical sciences, and computer sciences.

Columbus

The Department of Animal Sciences has laboratories in Columbus that meet needs for nutrition, animal breeding, genetics, and physiology research. Outstanding computer and library facilities also are in Columbus. A dairy facility and egg-laying flocks are less than a mile from the Columbus campus, and horse, sheep, swine, and beef herds are slightly further north.

Columbus is Ohio’s state capital with a growing metropolitan population of more than 1 million. The city boasts booming service industries, high government employment, a busy downtown and picturesque suburbs. Farmland prevails on the outskirts of the city. Columbus has a mild Midwestern climate and pleasant summers and winters milder than those of other Great Lake states.

Wooster

The laboratories at Wooster are some of the best equipped in the world. These labs are supported by an electron microscopy center, computer center, library, photo lab, and feed mill. Animal facilities at Wooster include a turkey research farm and a dairy facility. Research herds of beef cattle and sheep are located here and at several branches around the state.

Wooster, a college town that lies 90 miles northeast of Columbus, has a population of around 25,000. It is within convenient driving distance of Cleveland. The surrounding Wayne County countryside is rolling, wooded farmland and home to the largest Amish community in the United States.

Facilities

The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences maintains facilities in Columbus and Wooster. These facilities and animals are used for endeavors involving teaching, research, and outreach. Read more about the department’s facilities.