College: School of Veterinary Medicine
Designation: Department
Major: Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.
Other: Ph.D. Minor
Faculty: See Comparative Biomedical Sciences
The Department of Pathobiological Sciences (PBS) emphasizes an integrated approach to contemporary biology that combines molecular and cellular techniques with the analysis of complex whole animal systems. Faculty provide exceptional graduate and undergraduate research training opportunities in core areas of animal and human health including immunology, molecular and cellular biology, physiology, neuroscience, genomics, oncology, virology, medical technology, infectious diseases and toxicology and pharmacology. They also contribute extensive public services, both nationally and internationally, within related faculty disciplines.
The department and the graduate program it administers (comparative biomedical sciences, formerly veterinary science) serve as a focal point for graduate research training in the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM). Trainers in the comparative biomedical Sciences program have their tenure homes in all four departments of the School of Veterinary Medicine as well as in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), and the School of Medicine and Public Health. Faculty in the CBMS program also serve in or interface with other campus training programs including: bacteriology, biocore, cellular and molecular biology, endocrinology and reproductive physiology, medical microbiology and immunology, molecular and environmental toxicology, the Primate Center. The department and the School of Veterinary Medicine offer unique courses that serve as the basis for both the graduate degree program, and the needs of students in other graduate programs in CALS, and the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Currently, there are 70 faculty trainers in the comparative biomedical sciences program. Affiliate faculty outside the School of Veterinary Medicine have their tenure homes in the departments of Animal Sciences, Bacteriology, Biochemistry, Human Oncology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Medicine, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Population Health Sciences, Radiology, and Surgery. The program is currently comprised of about 60 graduate students, most of whom are pursuing the Ph.D. degree. The program is recognized as a premier research and graduate training program for students with or without a degree in veterinary medicine. Most graduate students receive financial support through fellowships, research assistantships through their major professor, and/or National Research Service Awards. Faculty in the program are PIs for four Training Grants (Parasitology, Respiratory Biology, Comparative Biomedical Training for Veterinarians, Short term Research Training for Veterinary Medical Students) for which students with the appropriate background and credentials can compete.
see Comparative Biomedical Sciences .
Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or D.V.M. or M.D. from an approved institution and have a strong background in biology and chemistry. Applications are judged on the basis of previous academic record, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statement. Before admission, all students must be accepted by an eligible program faculty member who agrees to serve as the major professor. Admission is competitive.
For more information: Admissions, Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1581; 608/262-0470; fax 608/262-7420; graduate@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu; http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/gradprogram/index.shtml.