The Department of Animal Science at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the farm animal nutrition, genetics and breeding, biotechnology, physiology and management for animal production. The Bachelor of Animal Science and the Master of Animal Science degrees were established in 1975 and 1979, respectively. Later on, the Bachelor of Animal Science teaching courses was divided into two areas of Animal and Poultry Science for the training of experts in those specific areas. The Masters of Animal Nutrition program started in 1987, the Genetics and Breedingin1995 and the Physiology in2006. The Department of Animal Science started the PhD degree programs in Animal Nutritionin1994 and the Animal Genetics and Breeding in2008. Our Department was nominated and selected as a “Center of Excellence for Animal Science”in2000 for the duration of five years. This period was extended by the confirmation of the second round of nomination with focus on “The application of agricultural and food industry by-products in animal and poultry production”. Until the present time, the priority of research in the department was “The application of agriculture and food industries by-products for milk, egg and meat production”. This Department is publishing a journal entitling “The Iranian Journal of Animal Science Research” since 2009. Currently there are 17academicsincluding ten professors, one associate professor, five assistant professors and two emeritus faculties. Today the offered program degrees offered by the department are BSc in Animal and Poultry Sciences, MSc in Animal Nutrition, Physiology, Genetics and Breeding and the PhD in Animal Nutrition (Poultry and Ruminant) as well as Animal Genetics and Breeding.

Objectives

The aim of the Department of Animal Science is to train the undergraduate students as experts in farm animal management and production, and postgraduate students capable of making, research plans and supervision of farm animals and feed industries. There is a strong tradition of training outstanding students and researchers in the field of Animal Science in our department in the state Khorasan province, Iran.