The Department of Animal Science offers both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The goal of the department is to offer education and research for the safe, nutritions, and economical production of animal food and fiber, and of animals for recreational purposes, without compromising the environment or jeopardizing the health and well being of farm animals and farm communities. Graduates of the program advance into careers in universities, government agencies, the livestock industry, veterinary medicine, and biomedicine.
The collection has grown as the University has grown over the years from an agricultural college to the research university that it is today. Animal agriculture has always been an important cornerstone in the history of the university, and since the department’s beginnings as Animal Husbandry it has continued to recognize the vital role of livestock in Michigan, the United States, and the world.
Animal science books, journals, trade magazines, and more were housed in the Animal Industries Reference Room in Anthony Hall to give faculty and students better access to the materials. In August 2003, the Animal Industries Reference Room closed and most of the materials, except for a few trade magazines, were moved to the Main Library.
The Animal Science collection supports the teaching and research needs of graduate and undergraduate students and faculty in the Departments of Animal Science and Food Science and Human Nutrition. The collection supports the emphasis on teaching, research, and outreach in beef, sheep, swine, poultry, dairy, and horses. Animal behavior and welfare, the realtionships between humans and animals, are additional areas of focus. Research areas include breeeding and genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, reproductive physiology, toxicology, meat science and muscle biology, and livestock and farm management.
