Curriculum
Curriculum Requirements
To complete the program in 1 calendar year, students must earn a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester (fall, spring, and summer) for a total of 36 credits. This includes core course work, 1 required on-site laboratory per semester, and elective courses. Students may also choose to pursue their studies at a more moderate pace to accommodate other professional and personal commitments. For additional details read our program handbook.
Other Eimeria spp. oocysts (background)
Laboratory Instruction
Students must take 5 credits of laboratory instruction (with 5 full days of instruction in the laboratory being equivalent to 1 credit). A minimum of 1 laboratory credit each semester must be taken on the Cornell University campus. Lab options offered at Cornell University and other institutions are detailed in Table 2.
In the final semester, students will be required to complete a literature review-based capstone project with guidance from program faculty.
Table 1
| Core Courses | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parasites of Domestic Animals* | 2 | ||
| Introductory Pharmacology* | 1 | ||
| Antiparasitic Drugs | 1 | ||
| Federal Government’s Role in Animal Health |
1 |
||
| Parasitologic Diagnostic Methods Video Lab | 2 | ||
| Organisms as Lab Models | 1 | ||
| Early Drug Discovery | 1 | ||
| Antiparasitic Vaccines | 1 | ||
| Regulatory Approvals | 1 | ||
| Scientific Writing and Critical Review of Literature | 1 | ||
| Statistics for Efficacy Studies |
1 |
||
| Capstone Project Research | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 |
Table 2
| Laboratories | Site | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parasite Identification‡ | CU | 1 | |
| Non-Morphologic Parasite ID | CU | 1 | |
| Parasitologic Necropsy | CU | 1 | |
| Cases with Lab Specimens – Lg Animal | CU | 1 | |
| Cases with Lab Specimens – Sm Animals | CU | 1 | |
| The Parasitologic Necropsy Lab | CU | 1 | |
*If students already possess the DVM degree (or equivalent), the requirement for taking the Parasites of Domestic Animals and Introductory Pharmacology courses is waived.
‡This laboratory is required for all students.
Table 3
| Elective Courses | |
|---|---|
| Course | Credits |
| Biting Flies and Myiasis | 1 |
| Fleas and Lice | 1 |
| Mites | 1 |
| Ticks | 1 |
| Apicomplexa | 1 |
| Excavata | 1 |
| Internal Parasites of Dogs | 2 |
| Internal Parasites of Cats | 1 |
| Internal Parasites of Cattle | 2 |
| Internal Parasites of Horses** | 2 |
| Internal Parasites of Pigs** | 1 |
| Internal Parasites of Sheep | 2 |
| Parasites of Poultry** | 1 |
| Parasites of Food Fish** | 1 |
| Parasites of Zoo Animals** | 1 |
| Parasites of People | 2 |
| Introductory Parasite Identification in Clinical Samples** | 1 |
| Imaging of Parasites In Vivo | 1 |
| Comparative Microanatomy of the Parasitic Protista** | 1 |
| Comparative Microanatomy of Helminths and Arthropods** | 1 |
| Drug Discovery– The Big 12 | 1 |
| Alternate Parasite Control Approaches in Sheep and Goats | 1 |
| Morphologic Identification of Parasitic Helminths and Arthopods** | 1 |
| Morphologic Identification of Parasitic Protista** | 1 |
** Courses coming soon