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Department of Animal Sciences

CFAES

Vita Plus Dairy Nutrition and Management Fellowship at Michigan State

Applications are now being accepted for the Vita Plus Dairy Nutrition and Management Fellowship at Michigan State.

As the dairies in our market area get more sophisticated, the required skills to service their needs as a nutritional consultant increase as well. Our field nutritionists are highly skilled and technologically savvy – built greatly on experience. However, the challenge for a new college graduate to step into the role of dairy nutritionist and farm consultant is substantial. Many graduates welcome additional training after completing a bachelor’s degree to prepare them for future employment in a dairy nutritionist and consultant role. However, most graduate student funding available within a university system are in support of a focused research program.

There is an option at Michigan State University to receive a master’s degree in course. In this program, the research component is minimized in exchange for more advanced instruction. However, this option is rarely used because there is not regular funding to support the student. Vita Plus sees this as an avenue to train more students for the jobs in our industry. Our fellowship not only financially supports a student interested in this program, but also offers needed field and practical experience to balance the class work and normal student and advisor interactions.

Complete fellowship details are listed on the attached document. We are now recruiting a student for this Michigan State University program to start in the fall of 2017. The student will attend classes at Michigan State for three semesters and gain industry experience with Vita Plus on approximately a 35% full-time equivalency basis during the 16-month period.

The student will also supervise a practical field research project.

Applications must be submitted before November 1, 2016. The selection will be made shortly thereafter.