Appendix D
The University of North Carolina Request for Authorization to Establish a New Degree Program in the Same 6-Digit CIP Code as a Currently-Authorized Program at the Same Level (formerly designated as track)
This form should be used only if the proposed program is in the same 6-digit CIP code as a currently-authorized program at the same degree level and will not require any additional state-appropriated resources.
Date: 9 November 2002
Constituent Institution: North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine
CIP Discipline Specialty Title: Veterinary Clinical Sciences
CIP Discipline Specialty Number: 51.2501 Level: B M X 1stProfD
Exact Title of the Proposed Degree:_Master of Veterinary Public Health
Exact Degree Abbreviation (e.g. B.S., B.A., M.A., M.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.): MVPH Option B
Proposed date to establish degree program (allow at least 3-6 months for proposal review):
month__July______year 2003
Do you plan to offer the proposed program away from campus during the first year of operation?
Yes No X
If so, complete the form to be used to request establishment of a distance education program and submit it along with this request.
Title(s) of currently established degree program(s) in the same CIP (6-digit) discipline specialty as the proposed new degree program:
M Specialized Veterinary Medicine 51:2501 101 000
MS Comparative Biomedical Sciences 51:2501 123 000
PhD Comparative Biomedical Sciences 51:2501_404 000
I.Description of the Proposed New Degree Program
A.Describe the proposed new degree program, including the curriculum and total hours required.
Introduction: Master of Veterinary Public Health:
The Master of Veterinary Public Health (MVPH) program is an graduate program designed to provide graduate training for veterinarians interested in pursuing animal and public health service oriented careers with state, federal, and international agencies. The one to two year nonthesis option B masters program will provide advanced graduate training in:
1) Veterinary public health and the identification and control of zoonotic pathogens
(animal pathogens associated with disease in humans);
2) Veterinary epidemiology and biostatistics;
3) Infection control and biosecurity;
4) Outbreak investigation, and disease eradication;
5) Food safety;
6) Geographic information systems and spatial analysis
7) Livestock health management and trade policy.
The program complements other NCSU Veterinary College graduate training options and makes effective use of existing classes already being taught at the CVM and within other NCSU campus curricula.
MVPH Program Administration
The MVPH program will be administered at the College of Veterinary Medicine as a component of the College’s Existing Veterinary Clinical Sciences Graduate Program. A faculty program director will be chosen by a majority vote of the MVPH faculty, and then appointed by the College of Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean of Graduate Programs for a period of two years. Department administrative staff within the CVM Department of Farm Animal Health and Resource Management will assist the faculty director with the processing of student applications. Graduate school enrollment,course registration, and grade reporting will be coordinated by the CVM Student Services Office, in cooperation with the NCSU Office of Graduate Programs.
The MVPH program director will serve as the chair of a MVPH graduate program committee comprised of the program director and four additional graduate faculty MVPH program members. Both full-time and adjunct faculty who are members of the Veterinary Clinical Sciences graduate faculty will be eligible to serve as MVPH program committee members. Committee members will be elected by a vote of the MVPH program faculty noted below. Committee members will be elected to staggered two year terms by a majority vote of program faculty. The committee will review graduate student applications for admission to the program, make degree recommendations to the graduate school to award degrees to graduate students successfully completing the program, and serve as the main governing body of the program to evaluate student progress, curricular changes, and resolve problems.New faculty joining the Veterinary Clinical Sciences graduate faculty will be automatically eligible to become MVPH program committee mentors. Inclusion of new faculty will be determined by a majority vote of existing MVPH program faculty
Program Prerequisites
To be eligible for enrollment in the MVPH program, students must have previously successfully completed a professional program in veterinary medicine and received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree, or an international equivalent. Requested exceptions to the veterinary medical requirement will be individually evaluated and potentially granted by the MVPH program committee based on the students perceived ability to successfully complete the program. All students applying to the program will meet standard minimum admissions criteria established by the NCSU Graduate Program and must also be approved by the MVPH program committee for admission.
Student Application, Application Review and Admission
Full transcripts, a letter of intent from the student, and three letters of reference will be required to complete student applications. March 1st will serve as the initial target date for the receipt of applications. Applications will be reviewed and letters of acceptance distributed each year prior to April 15th. These dates will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that program application requirements accommodate the application procedures of employees working for the various state and government agencies anticipated to enroll in the program. Delayed applications, will be reviewed on an individual basis by the MVPH graduate program committee. The MVPH program committee will attempt to make the process as flexible as possible to ensure that all qualified applicants are provided an equal opportunity to enroll in the program.
The Student Pool
Veterinarians currently employed or seeking future employment with state, federal or international agencies as veterinary animal health and public health practitioners comprise our primary target enrollment pool of veterinarians. Veterinarians currently employed by these agencies are frequently required to obtain an additional degree to be eligible for career advancement. We anticipate that veterinarians in private practice who are interested in a career change, will also apply for enrollment in the MVPH program.
Degree Requirements
Students successfully completing the degree program will be awarded the Master of Veterinary Public Health (MVPH). Candidates for an MVPH will complete a minimum of 39 credit hours of courses in residence or via the NCSU distance learning program. The credit hour requirement will be comprised of 24 credit hours of core courses, and 7+ credit hours of electives. Students will also be responsible for completing a focused animal or veterinary pubic health oriented project which will be presented in both written and oral form (5 credits).
Student elective course selections will be made after consultation with their faculty mentor.
MVPH Curriculum
Semester enrollment for the MVPH program will be flexible to accommodate the diverse needs of the applicant pool. The MVPH program will offer several enrollment options. Students will enroll during the fall semester and have the option of completing their program in 12, 18 or 24 months. We envision that military veterinarians with a limited focused period during which they can be enrolled in a graduate program may elect to pursue intensive training during one full year. Students with more flexible schedules will have the opportunity to complete their training over a period of 18-24 months and enroll in a larger number of elective classes. Additional flexibility is added by including an opportunity for early course enrollment in ST 511, and/or ST 512 in the preceding summer semesters, or waiving these classes by demonstrating that appropriate equivalents have been completed at a different institution.
Students will arrive at the NCSU campus two days prior to the beginning of their first semester. Two mornings will be designated for students to review program requirements, various program options and engage in team building activities with other students and program faculty. Since the majority of students will be joining us from other states or countries, afternoons will be set aside for students to familiarize themselves with Raleigh, the campus, and coordinate living arrangements. This introductory period will be used to establish a sense of community among enrolled students. Current students will participate in the planning and implementation of the sessions for new incoming students.
Core Courses
Core courses of the MVPH program were selected to ensure that each student graduating from the program has a uniform set of skills that includes expertise in veterinary epidemiology and biostatistics. Students successfully completing the MVPH curriculum will have a sound grasp of the epidemiologic approach to problem solving, study design, data storage, data analysis, and data communication, The core curriculum is designed to provide each graduate with a working knowledge of the issues and policies that impact animal agriculture international trade in animal products, and the risks that challenge the integrity of our food supply. In addition, each graduate will be required to have a thorough knowledge of outbreak investigation, and alternative measures that can be taken to minimize or halt the spread of infectious diseases that impact animal and human health. Core courses are comprised of existing didactic and distance education courses currently being taught at NCSU. In addition, several new courses have been developed by MVPH faculty to broaden class offerings available to MVPH students.
Curriculum Outline
1st semester, Fall Session
Five core courses (12 credit hrs.) + one elective course (2-3 credit hrs.) =
14-15 credit hrs.
CBS 580 Veterinary Production Epidemiology
Instructor: Slenning
3 credits
The name of the course and descriptor for the course will be changed to: CBS 580 Introduction to Veterinary Epidemiology. Introduction to the epidemiologic approach to problem solving, and study design.
VPH ### Veterinary Diagnostic Techniques and Assessment
Instructor: Gebreyes
2 credits
This is a new course that provides an introduction to diagnostic techniques and the
use of molecular techniques for assessing population health.
Stat 511: Experimental Statistics for Biological Sciences
Instructor: Stat. depart. faculty
3 credits
Introduction to the use of statistics in the biological sciences.
VPH ### Veterinary Public Health
Instructor: Levine
3 credits
Introduction to zoonoses, and infectious diseases of importance to both
human and animal health.
CBS 610/810a PopMED Forum
Instructor: Levine
1 credit (fall)
Seminar course covering a broad range of topics relating to population health.
A cross-program listing (CBS/MVPH) will be requested for this seminar class.
ExampleElective courses:
FSA 520 Pre-Harvest Food Safety
Instructors: Morrow and Correa
3 credits
Introduction to food safety Issues impacting farm production prior to harvest
PRT 532 Principles of Geographic Information Science
Instructor: Devine
3 credits
Use of geographic information systems for examining spatial data
2nd semester
Student course load :
Four core courses (13 credit hrs.) + One to three elective courses (2-7 credit hrs.) =
15-22 credit hrs
Stat 512: Experimental Statistics for Biological Sciences II
Instructor: Stat. depart. faculty
3 credits
Continuation of Stat. 511.
CBS 754: Principles of Analytic Epidemiology
Instructor: Correa
3 credits
Multivariable analysis and it’s practical application
VPH ### Biosecurity and disease control
Instructor: Vaillancourt
2 credits
Biosecurity and disease control in veterinary practice.
FSA 540 Food Safety and Public Health
Instructor: Food science faculty
3 credits
Issues and developments related to the relationship between food safety and public health, including emerging foodborne pathogens; virulence, pathogenicity; toxins; epidemiological techniques, rapid detection methods; and risk assessment.
CBS 610/810a PopMED Forum
Instructor: Levine
1 credit
Seminar course covering a broad range of topics relating to population health.
A cross-program listing (CBS/MVPH) will be requested for this seminar class.
ExampleElective courses:
Stat 505: Applied Nonparametric statistics
Instructor: Dietz
3 credits
Use of nonparametric statistics
VPH ### Animal Health and Food Safety in a Global Economy
Instructor Correa
2 credits
International food safety trade policy and public health.
3 rd semester, 1st summer session
Student course load:
1 core course (5 credit hours) + 1 elective (2-3 credit hours) = 7- 8 credit hrs.
VPH ###: Special problems in veterinary public health
Instructor: MVPH Faculty
5 credits
Completion of each students research project requirement. Projects will be initiated first
semester and continue throughout the three semester academic year
Example Electives:
ST 733 Applied Spatial Analysis
Instructor: Genton
3 credits
VPH### Practical Approaches to Foreign Animal an Zoonotic Livestock Diseases
Instructor: Levine
2 credits
Introduction to the risks, economic impact, control and eradication of foreign animal diseases that impact livestock and human health.
FS 553: Food Laws and Regulations
Instructor: Food Science Faculty
3 credits
Federal and state laws and regulations, and case law history affecting food production, processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of food and food products.
Emphasis Area
Each student will have the option of selecting an emphasis area to guide their selection of
elective courses. Initially students will have the opportunity to select one of two emphasis
areas, food safety, or spatial information systems. Emphasis area selections will often be
determined by the state or federal agency at which a student is employed. For example, the majority of military veterinarians will select food safety courses as electives. Additional emphasis areas anticipated include: Veterinary epidemiology, Zoonoses, Risk Analysis, and Biosecurity. Students that do not select an emphasis area will not have an emphasis area noted on their degree certificate, but will be able to select elective courses from a lengthy list of alternative electives currently taught at NCSU.
Food Safety: 3 of the five elective classes listed below
FSA 520 Pre-Harvest Food Safety
FSA 530 Post-Harvest Food Safety
FS 533 Food Laws and Regulations
FSA 722 Microbial Food Safety
MVPH ## Animal Health and Food Safety in a Global Economy
Spatial Information Systems: 3 of the seven elective classes listed below
PRT 532 Principles of Geographic Information Science
PRT 533 Application Issues in Geographic Information Systems
ST 535 Computer cartography
ST 733 Applied Spatial Statistics
FOR 510 Introduction to GPS
FOR 554 Principles of Spatial Information Systems
FOR 753 Environmental Remote Sensing
18 – 24 Month Option
The 18-24 month option will accommodate part-time students, and students that wish to
select a larger number of elective classes.
Elective courses
MVPH students will have access to more than 30 elective courses that can be chosen from the catalog of NCSU didactic courses as well as distance learning courses offered by the University.
Student projects
Each student will be responsible for designing and implementing an observational veterinary epidemiologic study. Study selection will be made in consultation with faculty mentors. Students will prepare a written report, and make an oral presentation of study results to the MVPH program committee, and other MVPH faculty and students. Students will receive five course credits during their last semester for the completion of their project.
Faculty Mentors
Each enrolled student will be assigned to a faculty mentor. Mentors will be selected by the MVPH director based on their expertise to accommodate the student’s personal career interests. The faculty mentor will review student elective course selections, and help students select, design and implement the project required for successful completion of the program.
In addition, the faculty mentor will serve as the primary resource individual to monitor each student’s academic progress toward completion of the program.
Student progress
Faculty mentors will provide the initial oversight for monitoring the progress of MVPH students. The faculty mentor will conduct a review with each student at the end of each semester. In this manner students will continue to be appraised of expectations and their timeline for completion of the program.
Marketing resources
The program will make use of the CVM’s existing web presence to market the MVPH program. A separate series of web pages will be established to describe the program, the participating faculty, requirements of application, admission, and graduation and eventually the accomplishments of program graduates. Electronic letters of introduction will be sent to all colleges of veterinary medicine, state, federal and international agencies that may potentially like to obtain advanced training for their existing veterinary staff. In many cases we have already identified the key individuals with these various agencies, and have received letters of support for the program (appendix).
Training Grants
Although no new financial resources are being requested to implement the program, as the program grows we will apply for extra-mural funds to support program administration and to enhance student training opportunities. We will seek extramural funds from the USDA National Research Initiative Training Grant Program and other agencies (e.g. USAID) to support student travel, student scholarships, tuition remission, program administration, teaching assistants, and enhance information technology capabilities.
B.List the educational objectives of the new degree program.
Specific educational objectives include:
1) Preparing veterinarians for public service careers in veterinary public health;
2) Providing training in veterinary epidemiology, biostatistics, data management, food safety, biosecurity, animal and human health policy management, and international trade that complements the prior training of veterinarians, and reflects societal needs;
3) Providing students with a portfolio of problem solving and analytic skills that will
facilitate work competence and career advancement in veterinary public health.
Specific institutional and faculty objectives include:
1) Enhancing the reputation of the college as a center of excellence for students interested in pursuing public service positions in animal and veterinary public health;
2) Facilitating professional growth opportunities for faculty through engagement in the graduate program.