Erin Ryan
Job Title
Manager, Campaigns - Wildlife
Employer
Humane Society International (Canada)
Overview
Applied Animal Biology offers opportunities for advanced study and research leading to a M. Sc. degree in animal physiology, behaviour, welfare, and management of livestock, companion animals, research animals, wildlife species, aquaculture, and on the human-animal relationship.
The program is enriched through collaboration with colleagues in other UBC graduate programs such as Zoology, Population and Public Health, and with agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Dairy Farmers of Canada and other livestock agencies and the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA).
On-campus teaching and research facilities are located in the MacMillan Building. Off-campus research facilities available to students include: the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre in Agassiz; shared research facilities at Fisheries and Oceans Canada at West Vancouver; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the BC SPCA.
What makes the program unique?
UBC is uniquely equipped to offer you a rich and well-rounded graduate degree in Applied Animal Biology. After all, we have been honing our expertise for over a century: The Faculty of Agriculture (now LFS) was one of UBC’s three founding faculties back in 1915, with Animal Husbandry as one of Agriculture’s first four programs. Still today, our MSc and PhD programs benefit from state-of-the-art on-campus teaching and research facilities, as well as off-campus research facilities. The Applied Animal Biology program is also home to the UBC Animal Welfare Program, the Dairy Education and Research Centre, and a graduate certificate in Aquaculture.
The Animal Welfare Program is one of the largest and most respected programs in the world in the field of animal welfare science. Since its inception in 1997, the Program’s research has led to improvements in the lives of animals in British Columbia and around the world. The mission of the program is to improve the welfare and humane care of animals in agriculture, research, companionship and other areas through active efforts in research, education and public outreach. For additional information visit: https://awp.landfood.ubc.ca/
Program Structure
Graduate training at the M.Sc. level in applied animal biology requires that the student completes a body of research leading to a thesis. Students are expected to publish their research results in relevant leading international refereed journals.
Completion of the MSc program requires a thesis (12 or 18 credits) plus coursework, for a total of 30 credits. With a 12-credit thesis, students can include a maximum of 6 credits of senior undergraduate courses. With an 18-credit thesis, students can include a maximum of 3 credits of senior undergraduate courses.
Students who are planning a professional career will typically enrol in the 12-credit thesis option. The 18-credit value option requires a more intensive research experience and is more appropriate for students considering the PhD program or a research career. The thesis credit decision should be determined in consultation with the student and research advisor at the start of the program.
Additional coursework may be recommended upon consultation with the student’s supervisory committee.
Quick Facts
Program Components Coursework + Thesis required
Alumni on Success
Research Supervisors
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program
All applicants need firm commitment from a supervisor prior to applying.
Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
- Cerri, Ronaldo (Agricultural Machinery and Technology; Animal Production; Animal Reproduction; Biotechnology and Activity monitors; Dairy cattle reproduction; Endocrine Regulation; Endometrium-conceptus cross communication; Estrous cycle physiology in cattle; Inflammation and stress; Production medicine in dairy cattle; Agricultural Machinery and Technology, Animal Production, Animal Reproduction, Biotechnology and Activity monitors, Dairy cattle reproduction, Endocrine Regulation, Endometrium-conceptus cross communication, Estrous cycle physiology in cattle, Inflammation and stress, Production medicine in dairy cattle)
- Frommel, Andrea (Animal physiology, environmental stress; Sustainable Aquaculture; climate change; Early development in fish; Alternative feeds in aquaculture; Fish physiology)
- Guan, Leluo (Functional Genomics, Animal Microbiome)
- Protopopova, Alexandra (rabbit housing; dog training; cultural differences in human-companion animal relationships; Animal behaviour; animal shelter; Animal welfare; community initiatives; rabbit housing, dog training, cultural differences in human-companion animal relationships, animal behaviour, animal shelter, animal welfare, community initiatives)
- Rivarez, Mark Paul (Plant pathology; Agricultural ecology; Virology; Bioinformatics; Biogeography and phylogeography; Phylogeny and comparative analysis; Bacteriology; Mycology; Plant microbiota; Horticultural crop protection (pests, diseases and weeds); plant pathology; AI-based modeling; Biological control; virus evolution; virus epidemiology; pathogen diversity; bacteriology; mycology; metagenomics; high-throughput sequencing)
- von Keyserlingk, Marina (animal welfare, ethics of animal use, farm animals, dairy cattle welfare, Animal Welfare Behavior, housing and management and how these contribute to animal health and welfare of dairy cattle)
- Weary, Daniel (Animal welfare; Applied animal behaviour; Dairy cattle; Laboratory animals; Animal welfare, Applied animal behaviour, Dairy cattle, Laboratory animals)
Intake
Application Open Date
Canadian Applicant Deadline
International Applicant Deadline
Intake
Application Open Date
Canadian Applicant Deadline
International Applicant Deadline
Intake
Application Open Date
Canadian Applicant Deadline
International Applicant Deadline
Program Enquiries
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