The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (http://canr.udel.edu/) offers graduate education through all of its academic departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, Applied Economics and Statistics, and Plant and Soil Sciences. Each department offers programs leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree; additionally, programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree are offered in Animal and Food Sciences, in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, and in Plant and Soil Sciences. The College also participates in three interdisciplinary graduate programs offering both MS and PhD degrees: Water Science & Policy, Bioinformatics & Data Science, and Microbiology. The College seeks highly qualified students interested in conducting basic and applied research that will lead to careers in academia, industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Faculty members in all departments actively mentor graduate students, helping them to identify and conduct their graduate research projects. Students are encouraged to publish their research and to participate regularly in local, regional, and national professional meetings.
The Department of Animal and Food Sciences offers three graduate degrees: a Master of Science (MS) in Animal Science, a Master of Science (MS) in Food Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Animal and Food Sciences. In the Animal Science program, a student may seek a degree with a research focus in animal physiology nutrition, gut microbiology and immunobiology, genetics and genomics, avian diseases, molecular biology, immunology and virology, as well as poultry environmental and emergency disease management. In the Food Science program, a student may seek a degree with a research focus in bacteriology, virology, parasitology, or toxicology, as well as in food processing and packaging focused on food safety. Several faculty also participate in multidisciplinary graduate programs with Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, Health Sciences, Plant and Soil Sciences, and with the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment.
The Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology has three graduate degrees: the MS in Entomology, the MS in Wildlife Ecology, and the PhD in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology. These degree programs offer graduate students opportunities to engage in both applied and basic research dealing with insects, birds, mammals, and other wildlife. Areas of emphasis include ecology, human-wildlife interactions, plant-insect interactions, biological control, conservation biology, and wildlife ecology in a human dominated landscape.
The Department of Applied Economics and Statistics conducts research focused on the study of quantitative economics, international agricultural trade, economic development, resource economics, marketing, and policy. Graduate degrees offered includes an MS in Agriculture and Resource Economics, an MS in Statistics, and an online MS in Applied Statistics.
In Plant and Soil Sciences, graduate students may obtain both MS and PhD degrees that address basic and applied areas of research. Areas of study in the plant sciences pertain to biology and food security including genetics and genomics, molecular, cell and developmental biology, plant-microbe interactions, breeding, physiology and horticulture. In soil sciences areas of study pertain to understanding the Earth’s critical zone including soil chemistry, biochemistry, biogeochemical processes, microbiology, physics, and land conservation and management. Additional graduate research areas include urban forestry, landscape design, and plant collections management.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has two campuses with modern research laboratories, state-of-the-art equipment, and extensive field research sites that support a wide range of applied and basic graduate studies. Located on the Newark Campus are Worrilow Hall (newly renovated in 2021), Townsend Hall, the Charles C. Allen, Jr. Laboratory, the Fischer Greenhouse Laboratory, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (newly renovated in 2020), a modern research farm with 250 acres of cropland, a 35-acre woodlot for ecological studies, and extensive facilities for animal science research. The Elbert V. and Ann Carvel Center, located at the College’s southern Delaware campus in Georgetown, DE has more than 300 acres of land used for studies on the applied aspects of crop production and sophisticated facilities that support a wide range of research in poultry science. For more information on the College’s research infrastructure, please see http://canr.udel.edu/about-us/canr-campus/.
Departments and Programs
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