Program Overview

Undergrad Program Overview

Undergraduate Program Personnel

Name Position Title Phone Email Address
Amy O. Burk Professor, Director of Undergraduate Program 301-405-8337 amyburk@umd.edu
Victoria Pearlman Assistant Director of Undergraduate Program 301-405-1373 vlake@umd.edu
Tabitha Koelzer Coordinator 301-405-5781 tgregory@umd.edu

ANSC Program Goals

The curriculum in the B.S. in Animal & Avian Science degree is designed around seven course learning objectives. We use these learning objectives to build our courses sequentially so that graduates in our program are well-rounded in the discipline and ready to start careers or further education working with animals.

Careers & Opportunities in ANSC

Graduates of our Undergraduate ANSC Program will be well-prepared for a future working with animals.

Animal Structure & Function

The Animal Sciences undergraduate curriculum is designed around 7 core learning objectives. Graduates of the ANSC undergraduate program will be able to:

  • Correctly label basic anatomy of a domestic animal

  • Discuss its role in the animal’s normal physiology

Safely Handle Animals

Graduates will be able to safely approach, restrain, and move:

  • Horses

  • Sheep

  • Dairy Cows

  • Pigs

  • Chickens

  • Other species specific to their curricula

Animal Husbandry Requirement

Graduates will be able to:

  • Apply animal science knowledge

  • Research the creation of rational, feasible, and legal animal management programs which consider appropriate:

    • Nutrition
    • Husbandry
    • Health
    • Reproduction
    • Welfare

Animal Science Literacy

Graduates will be able to:

  • Select, understand, and critically evaluate scientific, animal science studies

  • Employ research that is applicable, timely, accurate, and useful for their animal care and management needs

Knowledge of Major Issues in ANSC

Graduates will be well-versed in the issues related to animal agriculture such that they can contribute to societal debates around:

  • Future of farming

  • Use of antibiotics in animal agriculture

  • Sustainability of our animal farms

  • Farm worker needs

  • Scaling agricultural enterprises up and down to meet a growing population’s protein needs

Communication

Graduates will be able to communicate effectively in-print and online, through oral, written, and visual means with:

  • The public

  • Producers

  • The scientific community

Courses Summary

Our curriculum is comprised of 4 sets of courses:

Core ANSC Courses

All ANSC majors take a core set of courses designed to provide them with the fundamental science background they will need. These courses include:

  • ANSC 101 - Introduction to Animal Sciences
  • ANSC 103 - Principles of Animal Science Lab
  • ANSC 204/205 - Anatomy and Lab
  • ANSC 212/214 - Physiology and Lab
  • ANSC 314 - Comparative Animal Nutrition
  • ANSC 315 - Applied Animal Nutrition

Animal Management Courses

In these 200-level courses, students learn more about the care and management of a specific species or related set of species. These courses include:

  • ANSC 220 - Livestock Management
  • ANSC 232 - Horse Management
  • ANSC 245 - Sheep Management
  • ANSC 237 - Equine Reproductive Management
  • ANSC 242 - Dairy Cattle Management
  • ANSC 250 - Companion Animal Management
  • ANSC 255 - Introduction to Aquaculture
  • ANSC 260 - Laboratory Animal Management
  • ANSC 262 - Commercial Poultry Management
  • ANSC 282 - Grazing Animal Management

Lower Division Electives

In these 100 and 200-level courses, students can learn material related to their first two years of the curriculum. These  courses include:

  • ANSC 105 - Horse Care Practicum
  • ANSC 115 - Careers in Animal Science
  • ANSC 120 - Introduction to Dairy Judging
  • ANSC 121 - Introduction to Livestock Judging
  • ANSC 210 - Veterinary Terminology
  • ANSC 227 - Eating with Eyes Wide Open
  • ANSC 252 - Introduction to Diseases of Wildlife
  • ANSC 270 - Animal Enterprise Management

Advanced ANSC Electives

In these 300 and 400-level courses, students get an in-depth consideration of topics important to animal science research and practice. These courses include:

  • ANSC 330 - Equine Science
  • ANSC 340 - Health Management of Animal Populations
  • ANSC 359 - Internship Experience in Animal and Avian Sciences
  • ANSC 410 - The Gut Microbiome and it's Roles in Health and Disease
  • ANSC 417 - Regulatory Issues in Animal Care and Management
  • ANSC 435 - Experimental Embryology
  • ANSC 436 - Animal Health Policy and Communication
  • ANSC 437 - Animal Biotechnology
  • ANSC 440 - Zoonotic Diseases and Control
  • ANSC 443 - Physiology of Lactation
  • ANSC 444 - Domestic Endocrinology
  • ANSC 445 - Comparative Digestive Physiology
  • ANSC 446 - Physiology of Mammalian Reproduction
  • ANSC 450 - Animal Breeding Plans
  • ANSC 452 - Avian Physiology
  • ANSC 453 - Animal Welfare and Bioethics
  • ANSC 455 - Applied Animal Behavior
  • ANSC 460 - Comparative Vertebrate Immunology
  • ANSC 4890 - Nutritional Aspects of Metabolic Disease
  • ANSC 497 - Animal Biotechnology Recombinant DNA Laboratory

Teaching Facilities

Lecture Hall - ANSC 0408

On the ground floor of the ANSC building in the main concourse area is the “large” lecture hall which seats 88 students comfortably. Several of our larger format courses are taught here.

Anatomy/Physiology Lab - ANSC 0108

Completed in 2012, this space is the key instructional facility for the lab sections of ANSC 211/212 - Anatomy of Domestic Animals, ANSC 214 - Physiology of domestic animals, ANSC 446/447 - Physiology of Mammalian Reproduction, and ANSC497- Animal Biotechnology Recombinant DNA Laboratory. The room features media equipment to connect a microscope or dissecting scope so that students can follow along with instructor demonstrations.

Teaching Lab Room - ANSC 1144

This space features four long science work benches with rolling chairs and a teaching and demonstration area in the front of the room. There is a desktop computer with a projection system. The lab holds between 20-30 students depending on seating. It is used by several courses in the department for a variety of uses.

Aquaculture Teaching Lab - ANSC 0104

With renovations completed in 2011, this teaching facility in the basement of the ANSC building houses a recirculating aquaculture system and tank field that allows up to 20 students to participate in our hands-on, Scholarship in Practice course: Introduction to Aquaculture (ANSC 255).

The Campus Farm

The Campus Farm was described in our most recent external review as a “jewel” to the ANSC undergraduate program’s activities. The farm is a core facility for ANSC as it is used in teaching many of our courses. The complex includes three barns separately used for horses, sheep, and others; a riding area; a machine shed; an office building; and a small poultry house.

Learn More

Teaching Faculty

ANSC graduate caps The Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland is home to world-class tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, and affiliated faculty.

 

Meet them here

ANSC Undergraduate Faculty:

 Charlie Apter

Charlie Apter
Equine, Livestock

Angela Black

Angela Black
Anatomy, Lab Animal Management

Dr. Debrabata Biswas

Debrabata Biswas
Pathobiology & Infectious Disease

Dr. Andrew Broadbent

Andrew Broadbent
Virology

Dr. Amy Burk

Amy Burk
Equine

Dr. Fabiana Cardoso

Fabiana Cardoso
Dairy Cattle Management

Chris Hakenkamp

Chris Hakenkamp
Statistics

Dr. Iqbal Hamza

Iqbal Hamza
Genetics

Dr. Younggeon Jin

Younggeon Jin
Gastrointestinal Health & Physiology

Dr. Carol Keefer

Carol Keefer
Embryology, Reproduction, Graduate Program Director

Dr. Byung-Eun Kim

Byung-Eun Kim
Nutrient Utilization & Metabolism

Dr. Rick Kohn

Rick Kohn
Nutrition

Dr. Li Ma

Li Ma
Statistical Genetics and Genomics

Kris Pelham Mayo

Kris Pelham Mayo
Animal Science

Dr. Tom Porter

Tom Porter
Endocrinology, Poultry

Dr. Mohamed Salem

Mohamed Salem
Aquaculture

Dr. Andrew Schiffmacher

Andrew Schiffmacher
Mammary Gland Development

Dr. Jiuzou 'John' Song

Jiuzou 'John' Song
Genetics and Statistical Genomics

Dr. Nishanth Sunny

Nishanth Sunny
Nutrition

Dr. Lisa Taneyhill

Lisa Taneyhill
Reproduction, Endocrinology

Monica VanKlompenberg

Monica VanKlompenberg
Physiology, Lactation, Internships

Dr. Zhengguo Xiao

Zhengguo Xiao
Reproduction, Epidemiology