Veterinary Medicine
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Program overview
Our graduate program is preparing the next generation of international leaders in animal and public health. Students will expand on their understanding of core competencies in veterinary medical sciences. They will acquire specialized expertise through the course of their thesis projects, deepening their skills as they embark on careers as highly-trained academics and professionals.
The graduate mission of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is to be a world leader in the training of animal health researchers and postgraduate veterinarians, creating experts who will advance animal and public health as well as the veterinary profession.
Outcomes and next steps
Academia; government (regulatory--food safety; water safety); feedlot; zoos; centre for disease control; biotechnology; pharmaceuticals; vaccine development; diagnostic pathology.
A PhD in Veterinary Medical Sciences is usually considered a final degree, for pursuing academic and non-academic careers in the above sectors.
Degree at a glance
Completion requirements
Thesis-based
Courses
Four courses
Program requirements
Class delivery
Classroom
Commitment
Four years full-time; six years maximum
Supervisor
A supervisor is required; potential supervisors must be listed when applying to the program
Fees and funding
Flat annual fee; guaranteed funding
Related programs
If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.
Supervisors
A supervisor is required for this program. Students are required to identify potential supervisors when applying to the program.
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Alastair Cribb
- Pharmacogenetics
- Molecular toxicology
- Clinical research
unavailable
Antoine Dufour
- Proteomics, proteases, systems biology, inflammation, immunity
accepting inquires
Dongyan Niu
- Foodborne Pathogenes, Food Safety, Bacteriophages, Animal Infectious Disease
accepting inquires
Douglas Morck
- Biofilms
- Antibiotic Resistance
- Bacterial Pathogenesis
- Immunomodulatory Effects of Antibiotics
accepting inquires
Eduardo Cobo
- Innate epithelial defenses
accepting inquires
Faizal Abdul-Careem
- Avian viral immunology
accepting inquires
Frank van der Meer
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Global Health
accepting inquires
Herman Barkema
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases in Dairy Cattle
accepting inquires
Hermann Schaetzl
- prion diseases
accepting inquires
Ina Dobrinski
- Biology of male germ line stem cells
accepting inquires
James Wasmuth
- Infectious Disease Genomics
accepting inquires
James Cross
- Developmental and reproductive biology
unavailable
Jeff Biernaskie
- Stem Cell Biology
- Wound Healing
- Tissue Regeneration
- Nervous system repair
accepting inquires
Jeroen De Buck
- Bovine bacteriology
- Vaccinology
- Biosensor development
- Bacterial genomics
- Microbiology
accepting inquires
John Gilleard
- Parasitology
accepting inquires
Karen Liljebjelke
- General Description of Research Program
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Bacterial Biofilm Production
- Salmonella in Poultry Production
seeking students
Karin Orsel
- Epidemiology, Cattle Health Research
accepting inquires
Kent Hecker
- Psychometrics and Neuro-education in Health Professional Education
seeking students
Marco Musiani
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology
unavailable
Mark Ungrin
- Microscale tissue engineering
- Technology development
accepting inquires
Prasanth Chelikani
- Obesity, Diabetes, Nutrition
accepting inquires
Rob Deardon
- Infectious Disease Modelling & Surveillance
- Bayesian & Computational Statistics
- Statistical & Machine Learning
- Experimental Design
- Spatial Statistics
- Biostatistics & Health Data Science
seeking students
Robin M. Yates
- Biochemistry, Immunology, Cell Biology, Comparative Biomedical Sciences
accepting inquires
accepting inquires
Tao Dong
- Microbiology, Synthetic Biology, Biochemistry
seeking students
Additional supervisors may be available. Contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies for more information.
Completion requirements
Core Courses
Students take courses in professional skills in health science research and biostatistical methods.
Seminar
Students will be required to give two seminars during their time in the program.
Thesis
Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.
Additional Courses
Topics may include biology of laboratory animals, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, parasitology and more.
Candidacy
Students will complete a research proposal and both oral and written candidacy exams.
Admission requirements and information
Requirements for the Veterinary Medicine Program
GPA
A minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 point system, over the past two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units) of the undergraduate degree.Minimum education
A Master's degree from an accredited institution with course work appropriate for VMS graduate training from a recognized institution.Work samples
None
Documents
Curriculum Vitae, and a Letter of Understanding signed by the prospective student and supervisor with a statement outlining the supervisor’s commitment to the training of the student, as well as their commitment to fund the student in accordance with the minimum VMS guidelines.
Reference letter
TwoTest scores
NoneEnglish language proficiency
An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
- TOEFL score of 97 (Internet-based) or 580 (paper-based). Our institution code is 0813
- IELTS score of 7.0 (Academic version)
- MELAB score of 83, or higher
- Tier 3 of the International Foundations Program with minimum grades of B,B,B (Writing & Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension & Oral Fluency).
Deadlines
For admission on September 1
Canadian and permanent residentJune 1 Application deadline
InternationalJune 1 Application deadline
For admission on January 1
Canadian and permanent residentNov. 1 Application deadline
InternationalNov. 1 Application deadline
For admission on May 1
Canadian and permanent residentMarch 1 Application deadline
InternationalMarch 1 Application deadline
For admission on July 1
Canadian and permanent residentMay 1 Application deadline
InternationalMay 1 Application deadline
If you’re not a Canadian or permanent resident make sure to read and learn about international specific requirements
Tuition fees and funding
All graduate students must pay general fees each year, as well as program fees.
Fees
Estimate for full-time students
Canadian and
permanent resident
International
student
General fees
12 months of study
$1,830 CAD
$1,830 CAD
Program fees
First 12 months of study
$5,593 CAD
$12,695 CAD
Total fees
For first year of studies
$7,423 CAD
$14,525 CAD
What are annual continuing fees?
Domestic Continuing Fees: $1,627 CAD
International Continuing Fees: $3,693 CAD
Continuing fees apply in the first term following completion of candidacy requirements.
Funding availability
Full-time graduate students in the VMS Graduate Program will be offered a stipend of at least $20,000 per year (normally two years for MSc and four years for PhD students).
Fees listed here are estimates only, and have been rounded to the nearest dollar. These amounts should not be considered accurate. All amounts are in Canadian Dollars.
Fees are subject to change.
For more details and the most accurate information go to the Academic Calendar
For more general information, see our Fees and Funding Guide
Highlights of Veterinary Medicine Program
Battling parasitic worms in the developing world
John Gilleard is bringing knowledge of parasites in livestock to understand parasites in humans
Understanding the link between antimicrobial use and resistance
William Ghali is investigating the use of antibiotics in food animals and its impact on human health
Gentle giants
Vet med researchers are looking at the effects of competing in the Stampede's Heavy Horse Pull
Learn more about this program
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
TRW 2D01
3280 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, ABT2N 4Z6
403.210.3961
Veterinary Medicine- Graduate Studies
Veterinary Medicine Graduate Programs (Foothills Campus)
TRW 2D08, 3280 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, ABT2N 4Z6
403.210.8764
Go to our contact page and connect with the right person to answer any questions you might have
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