Master of Science Degree Program (Thesis)
The M.Sc. in Animal Science is a 45-credit, research, thesis-based program. Research can be in any relevant area of animal science under the supervision of an appropriate departmental academic staff member. The program provides a solid background in an area of animal science, critical thinking, leadership and science communication.
The program typically takes 2 years to complete.
Animal Science (Thesis) (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Animal Science (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The MSc in Animal Science is a 45-credit, research, thesis- based program. Research can be in any relevant area of animal science under the supervision of an appropriate departmental academic staff member. The program provides a solid background in an area of animal science, critical thinking, leadership and science communication.
The program typically takes 2 years to complete.
Thesis Courses (36 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 680 | M.Sc. Thesis 1. | 9 |
|
| ANSC 681 | M.Sc. Thesis 2. | 9 |
|
| ANSC 682 | M.Sc. Thesis 3. | 9 |
|
| ANSC 683 | M.Sc. Thesis 4. | 9 |
|
Required Courses (9 credits)
6 credits of coursework at the 500 level or higher approved by the student's advisory committee, and three 1-credit seminars.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 695 | MSc General Topic Seminar. | 1 |
MSc General Topic Seminar. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 One of three seminars given by all students in the Animal Science M.Sc. (Thesis) program. Presentation of a scientific topic other than the student's specific area of research. In consultation with the thesis supervisor See course page for more information |
| ANSC 696 | MSc Research Proposal Seminar. | 1 |
MSc Research Proposal Seminar. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 One of three seminars given by all students in the Animal Science M.Sc. (Thesis) program. Consists of a literature review and an experimental approach for the student's proposed area of research. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 697 | MSc Research Results Seminar. | 1 |
MSc Research Results Seminar. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 One of three seminars given by all students in the Animal Science M.Sc. (Thesis) program. Consists of the student's summary of research and presentation of results. Should be presented before submission of thesis. See course page for more information |
Depending on the needs and competencies of the student, additional coursework may be assigned by the supervisory committee.
Application deadlines
| Degree |
Applicant |
Application Deadline |
| Fall |
Winter |
| M.Sc. (Thesis) |
Canadian/permanent resident |
May 31 |
September 1 |
| International |
January 15 |
July 15 |
Graduate Program Coordinator - Maude Bélanger
Master of Science (Applied) Programs (Non-thesis)
The M.Sc. Applied (Non-Thesis) degree is oriented to animal scientists already working in industry or government, to undergraduate students inspired by concepts in sustainable and integrated animal agriculture, to project leaders interested in animal resource management and to veterinarians. The program aims to provide graduate training in applied areas of animal production with a view towards integrating technology and management in animal production with allied areas of agricultural resource utilization.
All candidates are required to have a B.Sc. Degree or equivalent.
Animal Science (Non-Thesis): Sustainable Agriculture (M.Sc.A.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Animal Science (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science, Applied
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
Climate change and rising human population have increased the need for sustainable agricultural practices. The Sustainable Agriculture option is taken with a M.Sc. Applied (Non-Thesis) program, and designed for students who wish to supplement their basic degree with graduate studies in animal science, with a specific focus on sustainability in agriculture. Students will be exposed to different approaches to improve the sustainability of agricultural systems through specialized coursework and a research project. The program aims to provide graduate training in applied areas of animal production with a view toward integrating technology and management in sustainable animal production with allied areas of agricultural resource utilization.
Research Project (15 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 643 | Project 1. | 3 |
Project 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Summer 2026 Review of the literature and design of the project. This project relates to the M.Sc. Applied (non-thesis) degree. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 644 | Project 2. | 3 |
Project 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Summer 2026 Continuation of the review of the literature and design of project. This project relates to the M.Sc. Applied (non-thesis) degree. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 645 | Project 3. | 3 |
Project 3. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Execution and write-up of project. This project relates to the M.Sc. Applied (non-thesis) degree. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 646 | Project 4. | 3 |
Project 4. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Continuation of write-up and submission of project. This project relates to the M.Sc. Applied (non-thesis) degree. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 647 | Project 5. | 3 |
Project 5. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Seminar and project presentations. This oral presentation of the project relates to the M.Sc. Applied (non-thesis) degree. See course page for more information |
Required Courses (12 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 555 | The Use and Welfare of Animals. | 3 |
The Use and Welfare of Animals. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Understanding the roles in which animals are used by Society, especially in food production, companionship, research, and recreation; application of the scientific approaches that are used in assessing and improving animal welfare; and use of ethical approaches that are invoked in the use of animals, often in controversial contexts. An interdisciplinary course, based on active participation and discussion-method learning. See course page for more information |
| BREE 533 | Water Quality Management. | 3 |
Water Quality Management. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The water phases of terrestrial ecological systems and the processes that link them. Physical, chemical, and biological properties of water, and water quality standards. The fate and transport of pollutants in rivers and streams, lakes, and wetlands. Methods to quantify soil carbon and nitrogen cycle to predict nutrient leaching. Impacts of human activities (e.g., agricultural drainage) on water quality and measures to improve drainage water quality. Assess the effectiveness of proposed engineering measures or management practices in improving or maintaining water quality of a real site/water body using numerical methods or a computer modelling approach.
See course page for more information |
| IGFS 611 | Advanced Issues on Development, Food and Agriculture. | 3 |
Advanced Issues on Development, Food and Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A comprehensive view and understanding of world issues (agronomic, environmental and socio-economic) affecting development, poverty, hunger and food security. Topics cover rural development; soil and water management; climate change; demographic issues; gender equality; fair-trade food; plant and animal resources conservation; bio-products and biofuels; and economic and environmental issues - especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Globalization, sustainable development in agriculture, technology transfer and human-resources needs for rural development. Students attend guest lectures, interact with domain experts, and participate in round-table discussions. Students prepare a development project in the form of a funding application, following the norms of an established agency. See course page for more information |
| PLNT 602 | Advances in Agronomy. | 3 |
Advances in Agronomy. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Current topics related to the growth and development and quality of crops. Topics to be covered may include factors affecting crop growth, yield and advances in plant breeding. See course page for more information |
Complementary Courses (18 credits)
0-6 credits of sufficient 500-, or 600-level courses (with Adviser's approval) to bring the total credits to 45.
3 credits from the following list:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| AEMA 610 | Statistical Methods 2. | 3 |
Statistical Methods 2. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Principles of linear models, multiple regression equations and classification models. Introduction to Analysis of Variance and common statistical designs used in agricultural and environmental sciences. Emphasis on balanced and unbalanced designs and data structures; their analysis and tests of statistical significance. See course page for more information |
| AEMA 611 | Experimental Designs 1. | 3 |
Experimental Designs 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 General principles of experimental design, split-plot designs, spatial heterogeneity and experimental design, incomplete block designs and unbalanced designs, analysis of repeated measures, multivariate and modified univariate analyses of variance, central composite designs. See course page for more information |
| AEMA 614 | Temporal and Spatial Statistics 1. | 3 |
Temporal and Spatial Statistics 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Temporal statistics: analysis in the time domain, Box-Jenkins forecasting methodology, analysis in the frequency domain, periodogram analysis. Spatial statistics: mapping, autocorrelogram analysis, geostatistics. Statistical inference with autocorrelated sample data. See course page for more information |
9-15 credits from the following list:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 530 | Experimental Techniques in Nutrition. | 3 |
Experimental Techniques in Nutrition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Design and conduction of animal studies, selection of experimental animals, chemical and biological assays, statistical analysis, interpretation of data and preparation of technical reports. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 551 | Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism. | 3 |
Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Comparative aspects of nutrition and metabolism of carbohydrate and lipid from the cellular level through the multi-organ of the whole organism. Main topics will include biothermodynamics, calorimetry, cellular metabolism and functions of carbohydrate and lipid, digestion, absorption and utilization of dietary carbohydrate and lipid. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 552 | Protein Metabolism and Nutrition. | 3 |
Protein Metabolism and Nutrition. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Comparative aspects of nutrition and metabolism of amino acids and proteins from the cellular level on through the multisystem operation of the whole organism. Main topics include cellular metabolism and functions of amino acids and proteins, digestion, absorption and utilization of dietary protein. Comparison between farm animals and humans. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 560 | Biology of Lactation. | 3 |
Biology of Lactation. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An interdisciplinary approach to the study of mammary development, the onset of lactation and its cessation, comparing the differences in mammalian species in mammary development from embryological, pre- and post-pubertal and pre- and post-partum aspects. Lactation at the cellular and biochemical levels. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 604 | Advanced Animal Biotechnology. | 3 |
Advanced Animal Biotechnology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 New concepts and applications of animal biotechnology in agriculture, biomedicine, environmental preservation. See course page for more information |
| ANSC 611 | Advanced Reproductive Biology. | 3 |
Advanced Reproductive Biology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to key concepts in reproductive biology and principles of emerging reproductive technologies. Modules covered include oogenesis and folliculogenesis, fertilization, embryo development, reproductive biotechnology and new directions in reproductive biology. See course page for more information |
| FDSC 545 | Advances in Food Microbiology. | 3 |
Advances in Food Microbiology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An advanced level food microbiology course providing a perspective on advanced topics in food microbiology (microbial biofilms, antimicrobial resistance, bacterial endospores) and describing the fundamental principles of advanced techniques in food microbiology (microbiological, biochemical, immunological, genetics methods). See course page for more information |
| PLNT 635 | Advanced Plant Breeding. | 3 |
Advanced Plant Breeding. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Improving crop traits to meet the needs of feeding a growing population under the threat of climate change and other factors. Quantitative genetic variation and
inheritance. Fundamental and advanced topics in breeding for quantitative traits. Use of cutting-edge tools to solve plant breeding problems. Study quantitative trait
variation at various levels (e.g., genomic to phenomic)
See course page for more information |
| PLNT 662 | Advances in Plant Biotechnology. | 3 |
Advances in Plant Biotechnology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current techniques used in plant molecular biology. Topics to be covered may include plant biotechnology, recombinant DNA techniques, transgenic plants as well and gene and gene product analysis. Review of current literature on selected topics in plant molecular biology and genetics. See course page for more information |
Application deadlines
| Degree |
Applicant |
Application Deadline |
| Fall |
Winter |
| M.Sc.A. (non-thesis) |
Canadian/permanent resident |
May 31 |
No admissions |
| International |
January 15 |
No admissions |
Graduate Program Coordinator - Maude Bélanger
Ph.D. Degree Programs
Candidates for the Ph.D. programs are normally required to have an M.Sc. degree in an area related to the chosen field of specialization. The thesis must clearly show originality and be a contribution to knowledge.
Since the Ph.D. is primarily a research degree, the amount of course work required may comprise a smaller portion of the total than is the case for the M.Sc. This will depend on the background of the individual student and must be approved by the student's advisory committee. This course work must include two seminar courses at the graduate level and the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, ANSC-701.
Suitable candidates are advised to contact potential supervisors within their chosen area of interest. Applicants should be aware that no Professor is in a position to accept students without formal approval of the application by the Graduate School.
Animal Science (Ph.D.)
Offered by: Animal Science (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
Since the Ph.D. is primarily a research degree, the amount of coursework required will depend on the background of the individual student, and must be approved by the student's advisory committee.
Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.
Required Courses
Two seminar courses at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANSC 701 | Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. | 0 |
Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 An examination that must be passed by all doctoral candidates in order to continue in the doctoral program. See course page for more information |
Application deadlines
| Degree |
Applicant |
Application Deadline |
| Fall |
Winter |
| Ph.D. |
Canadian/permanent resident |
May 31 |
September 1 |
| International |
January 15 |
July 15 |
Graduate Program Coordinator - Maude Bélanger
