Program Overview

Program Overview

The Dairy Science Major with Science/Prevet Option is a Bachelor of Science degree program offered by the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech. This program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in dairy science, preparing them for careers in the dairy industry or for further study in veterinary medicine.

Program Curriculum

The program curriculum includes a combination of core requirements, dairy elective courses, and option science/pre-vet requirements. The core requirements include courses such as:

• Chemistry in Context
• Comparative Animal Physiology and Anatomy
• Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Physiology of Reproduction
• Dairy Science and Industry
• Professional Discourse and Career Development
• Dairy Information Systems
• Physiology of Lactation
• Translating Dairy Science

The dairy elective courses include:

• Dairy Cattle Handling
• Dairy Science First Year Experience
• Entrepreneurship in Animal Agriculture
• Dairy Cattle Evaluation
• Animal Agriculture and the Environment
• Applied Dairy Cattle Nutrition
• Applied Dairy Cattle Genetics
• Dairy Ration Formulation
• Bovine Reproduction Practices
• Mammary Immunology
• Advanced Dairy Management Evaluation
• Dairy Enterprise Management
• Field Study
• Independent Study
• Undergraduate Research

The option science/pre-vet requirements include:

• Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory
• General Chemistry Laboratory
• Host Microbe Interactions
• Concepts of Biochemistry
• Any Biology course at the 2000 level or higher
• Any Chemistry course at the 2000 level or higher
• General Physics
• General Physics Laboratory
• Undergraduate Research

Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students must complete a minimum of 120 credits, including all the required courses, and maintain a minimum overall and in-major GPA of 2.00. A minimum of 20 credits in DASC courses is also required.

Foreign Language Requirement

Four credits of accelerated foreign language or two semesters of a single foreign language are required, unless 2 units of a single foreign language are completed in high school. These credits do not count toward graduation requirements.

Plan of Study

The plan of study is outlined in a grid format, with suggested courses for each semester. The grid includes courses such as:

• First-Year Writing
• Precalculus with Transcendental Functions
• Principles of Biology
• Principles of Biology Laboratory
• Critical Thinking in the Humanities
• Introductory Statistics
• Economics of the Food and Fiber System
• Principles of Economics
• Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts
• Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States

Additional Requirements

After completion of 30 Virginia Tech semester credits, students must complete 3 semester credits of DASC courses. After completion of 36 semester credits, students must complete 12 semester credits in any area of the Pathways to General Education. After completion of 72 semester credits, students must complete 24 semester credits in any area of the Pathways to General Education, 6 semester credits of DASC courses, and at least 9 semester credits of in-major courses. After 96 semester credits, students must have an in-major GPA of at least 2.00 and an overall GPA of at least 2.00.

A DASC degree may be earned in combination with the first year of work in an accredited medical, dental, or veterinary school, provided that the following requirements are met: at least two of the three years of pre-professional work, including the third year, are in residence at VT; and a minimum of 90 semester credits of undergraduate work that include all the courses listed as Pathway to General Education, Dairy Science Common Degree Core, and 9 credits of Dairy Electives.