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Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences

An interdisciplinary approach to research offered within a single, multidisciplinary graduate program, the M.S. and Ph.D. curricula prepare students to be scholars and researchers who will advance veterinary and biomedical knowledge to benefit animal and human health.

Student wearing rubber gloves handling a vial

About the program

An integral part of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) and the Virginia Tech Graduate School, the Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences (BMVS) graduate program was initiated in 1986. In contrast to many departments and colleges across campus, a single, multidisciplinary graduate program at VMCVM is recognized by the Graduate School as a graduate department.

The goal of the BMVS program is to train students to be creative and sophisticated research scientists in fields associated with biomedical research. The program's association with VMCVM allows students the unique opportunity to explore both basic research, advanced pre-clinical animal model studies, natural clinical disease in animals, and translational research impacting both veterinary and human patients and populations.

The BMVS graduate program encourages collaborative, multidisciplinary research to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, and the environment. To that end, the program emphasizes acquisition of a foundation of knowledge, research skills, and wet or dry laboratory experience essential to implementing independent research projects and formulating experimental and observational approaches that solve contemporary and anticipated problems in the biomedical and health sciences.

A basic philosophy of graduate education in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences is flexibility. Programs of study — courses, laboratory and field research, clinical experiences, and teaching opportunities — are tailored to meet the individual student's needs, depending on academic background, professional experience, and career goals. The college prides itself on its high quality of faculty mentoring, advising, and support services.

Annual Research Symposium

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    2024 Research Symposium

    Our 33rd Annual Research Symposium will be held on March 18, 2024, with events from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Inn at Virginia Tech. This year's theme is "Forging ahead: Pathways toward novel clinical approaches" This theme explores how novel clinical practices are formed and research teams are made. The scope will be from taking bench-top discoveries into the clinic to using new technology to expand the utility of veterinary medicine.

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