Graduate Program | Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science

A graduate degree in Pathobiology offers an exciting range of possible careers in industry, academia, governmental, and non-governmental organizations.

The Department of Pathobiology & Veterinary Science offers three graduate degrees:

Master of Science (M.S.)
- Thesis plan (Plan A)
- Non-thesis plan (Plan B)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pathobiology, with areas of concentrations in:
- Bacteriology
- Virology
- Pathology
M.S. degree in Pathobiology with an area of concentration in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology open only to veterinarians (D.V.M/V.M.D. or equivalent) accepted into the residency program in veterinary pathology.

Faculty research focuses on all areas related to PATHOBIOLOGY (DISEASE BIOLOGY), including infectious diseases of humans and animals, vaccines, pathogenesis, veterinary pathology, One Health, and wildlife diseases.

Many faculty are members of the Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research (CEVR), which provides a unifying consortium for vaccine research at the University of Connecticut. The department also provides service to the University and residents of the State of Connecticut through integration with the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL).

Prospective students should apply to our programs (M.S. and Ph.D.) directly via the Graduate School. The Graduate School may waive application fees for certain prospective students (the Department is not able to provide application fee waivers).

Our program accepts applications throughout the year with a standard start date of August (Fall semester), although a January (Spring semester) start date is also possible. Early submission of applications (e.g., December or earlier for Fall semester, August or earlier for Spring semester) is encouraged.

PATHOBIOLOGY Graduate Program Admission Requirements

The General/minimum University requirements for admission include:

Minimum GPA: 3.0 GPA overall or last 2 years, OR 3.5 GPA in the final year of your Bachelor’s degree
A four-year Bachelor’s degree
Official transcripts
English language test (if applicable)

In addition, PATHOBIOLOGY also requires:

Three letters of recommendation from referees that are informed of your academic progress, career goals, and research experience (e.g., academic advisors, research mentors, instructors, etc.).
Personal statement / statement of purpose of approximately 500 to 1000 words, where you tell us about you, your academic and professional interests, and career goals. If you are applying to the MS thesis plan (Plan A) or PhD programs, also identify areas of research interest that relate to those pursued by the faculty in the Department.
Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV), as appropriate.
- GRE scores are no longer required for acceptance into the program and submitted scores will not be reviewed.
- Successful applicants typically have completed coursework in general and organic chemistry, general biology, and advanced biology coursework such as microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, and molecular and cell biology.

Application Decisions:

Students are accepted on a competitive basis, pending acceptability into our program and into the Graduate School.
For the non-thesis MS (Plan B) program, official admission decisions will be made as soon as possible.
For thesis-based MS and PhD programs, acceptance is based on faculty interest to serve as major advisor and availability of funds. Official admission decisions will be made as soon as possible, although a final decision may be held until funds become available.

Assistantships

PhD and MS Thesis plan students are typically funded through graduate assistantships (GAs), either a research assistantship (RA) funded by research grants from faculty, or a combination of half RA from faculty and half teaching assistantship (TA). The GAs are for the academic year (i.e., 9 months). Funding for the summer is not guaranteed (it depends on availability of research funds from individual faculty grants). Students funded by GAs do not pay tuition and get a stipend for living expenses, payment of fees, etc. Full details can be found at the Graduate School.

Non-thesis plan (Plan B) students are self-funded (typically not eligible for GAs) and pay tuition and fees.