Opportunities for Graduate Studies in Breeding and Genetics

Graduate Studies Links

The Animal Breeding and Genetics group at Colorado State University (CSU) is recognized as having one of the strongest graduate programs in beef genetics in the world. The unique combination of faculty, breed association and industry partners, national cattle evaluation systems, animal resources, and international collaborations at CSU synergize to give students the best training available.

The Animal Breeding and Genetics program at CSU is located within the Department of Animal Sciences, in the College of Agricultural Sciences. We enjoy a national and international reputation for innovative research, technology development, and industry adoption. Faculty collaborate closely with the National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Alberta Beef Producers, and more than twenty breed association and producer group clients of the Center for Genetic Evaluation of Livestock (CGEL). Opportunities also exist for collaboration with other research institutions such as USDA-ARS, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as large ranches in North America.

The program has a long and distinguished history of graduate level training in animal breeding and genetics. More than a hundred M.S. and Ph.D. graduates have completed their degrees at CSU in this program, and now work in all levels of industry, government, and academia all around the world.

The program at CSU emphasizes that graduate students should possess a balanced skill set that includes:

a strong methodological background
familiarity with the latest technologies and emerging topics in the field
logical thinking and computing skill
the ability to communicate with both scientific and stakeholder audiences
an understanding of beef production systems that leads to relevant research questions
an appreciation for the required balance among research, teaching, and implementation
exploring potentially positive interactions of animal breeding with related disciplines

Research Areas

Faculty in the Animal Breeding and Genetics program have expertise in beef cattle, sheep, horses, and some feral species. They carry on active research efforts in:

genetic prediction methodology
parameter estimation
genetic evaluation and data analysis software development
novel trait development
multi-breed genetic evaluation
phenomics methodology
characterization of complex gene interaction affecting economically relevant traits
selection and breeding decision support systems
outreach programs to support implementation of genetic improvement in industry
genetic evaluation, improvement technologies and breeding objectives for:
- heifer pregnancy
- fertility
- stayability
- feed intake and utilization
- feedlot health
- carcass merit
- mature maintenance requirement
- behavior

Expectations of Graduate Students in Animal Breeding and Genetics

The norm is to have between 7 and 10 graduate students in the Animal Breeding and Genetics program at the master and doctoral levels. As with most graduate degree programs, students learn and progress through a variety of ways. Graduate students are given the opportunity to learn and gain experience from their fellow students, from faculty and coursework, and through working on the ongoing projects in the group. The typical academic load is 9 course hours per semester. In addition, all students in the Animal Breeding and Genetics program are expected to spend an average of 20 hours per week on group activities such as data collection, programming, data analyses, writing, and discussion of ongoing projects. This expectation is outside the work required for the student’s degree project; preparation of the thesis (M.S.) or dissertation (Ph.D.) is the sole responsibility of each student.

Students successful in completing a graduate degree in this program normally (co)author four or more popular press articles, proceedings papers and(or) scientific manuscripts throughout the course of their program.

Graduate Courses in Animal Breeding and Genetics

Graduate coursework in animal breeding and genetics begins with ANEQ575, Computational Biology in Animal Breeding. Students in the program also enroll in Breeding and Genetics Seminar (ANEQ792B) each semester. Both ANEQ631 (Selection Index Theory) and ANEQ731 (Advanced Genetic Prediction) are taught in the spring of alternating years, and advanced students also take ANEQ730 (Advances in Cattle Breeding). Graduate students may also take online courses in quantitative genetics, which were developed by faculty at CSU, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State. The group regularly hosts faculty from other universities who complete sabbatical visits at CSU and(or) conduct intensive workshop courses in emerging topics in animal breeding and genetics. As a supplement to their learning experience, all graduate students are required to serve as teaching assistants in departmental undergraduate courses.

Prospective Students

Prospective graduate students who are interested in pursuing M.S. or Ph.D. programs in animal breeding and genetics at CSU are encouraged to visit http://www.ansci.colostate.edu and follow the links from the main page to information for prospective students. At minimum, to be considered for admission, students must hold a bachelors degree from a recognized university, at least a 3.0 (4.0 scale) undergraduate GPA and a combined score of at least 1000 on the verbal plus quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Students from non-English speaking countries are also required to achieve minimum requirements on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. These criteria can be confirmed by contacting the Graduate School Admissions Office.

Once accepted by the CSU graduate school, applications are forwarded to the Department of Animal Sciences Graduate Committee for review. Applicants are evaluated by this faculty committee with regard to suitability to pursue graduate studies in Animal Sciences. A questionnaire for the committee’s review can be found on the departmental website, and must be submitted by the applicant, along with three letters of recommendation. In addition to CSU Graduate School and Department of Animal Sciences admission requirements, animal breeding and genetics graduate students generally have the following:

a score of at least 700 on the quantitative section of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
a score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), if applicable
some familiarity with computing beyond internet, word processing and basic spreadsheets
internship or work experience in the food animal industries
a GPA of 3.5 (4.0 scale) or 90% marks in upper division undergraduate animal science courses

Additional information regarding the Animal Breeding and Genetics program at CSU may be obtained by contacting either Dr. Denny Crews or Dr. Mark Enns.

Current Graduate Students

Name	From	Biography
Scott Speidel PhD	California	Scott received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from California State University Fresno and a M.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of Arizona. Currently, he is in the process of completing a Ph.D. program, while working as a Research Associate for the Center for the Genetic Evaluation of Livestock. His work duties include the calculation of Expected Progeny Differences and new trait development for CGEL’s clients. Current research interests include the development of days to finish traits for the Beef industry.
Brian Brigham MS	Colorado	A Colorado native, Brian Brigham was raised in Parker and found his way to Colorado State University in 1998. He received a B.S. degree in biology concentrating in molecular genetics in 2003. Interest in animal agriculture led him to graduate school in the Animal Science department where he began working towards a masters degree in Animal Breeding & Genetics. Currently he is one of two research associates employed by the Center for Genetic Evaluation of Livestock while finishing a masters degree with plans to continue his education, pursuing a PhD in Animal Breeding & Genetics. Areas of research he has focused on include decision support software for cow-calf production, better evaluating stayability of beef females and evaluation of carcass multi-breed carcass traits.
John Crowley PhD	Ireland	John is from the southwestern part of the Republic of Ireland. He obtained his B.Sc. from the School of Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences at University College Dublin. He works with the Irish Department of Agriculture, located at the TEAGASC research center in Moorepark. John’s research interest is in the genetics of feed intake and utilization. He is spending the summer of 2009 with the CSU breeding and genetics group as a visiting student.
Chase McAllister MS	Montana	Chase was born and grew up in north-central Montana. He attended Montana State University in Bozeman and graduated with a B.S. from the Animal and Range Sciences Department in 2007. Chase’s M.S. project is on the genetics of bovine respiratory disease in feedlot cattle. He plans to continue in the Ph.D. program after completing the M.S. degree.
Cory Pendley MS	Wyoming	Cory grew up near Cody, Wyoming. He attended Colorado State University and was active in CSU judging programs and was on the 2008 Seedstock Team. He received his B.S. in Animal Sciences from CSU in 2008. Cory’s research interest is in validation of beef sire carcass merit EPD.
Amanda Pepper MS	Colorado	I was born in Pierre, South Dakota and raised in Longmont, Colorado. I received my Bachelors of Science in Animal Science with a concentration in science and a minor in Business Administration at Colorado State University in May of 2007. I was an active member of Collegiate CattleWomen for two years, and acting treasurer for one of those years. I am currently pursuing my Masters of Science in Breeding and Genetics

Last Updated ( Friday, 19 June 2009 )

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