威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校

Poultry science students focus on the biology of domestic birds, including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Courses cover physiology, nutrition, and health, as well as husbandry and business management related to poultry. Processing of meat and eggs and their role as healthy foods are important aspects included in the major. The poultry science curriculum is useful for any student who wants to learn the basics of bird biology and/or poultry production.

Career opportunities for poultry science graduates exceed the number of graduates and may be found in production, marketing, sales, and technical services for the live bird industry or its food products (meat or eggs). The Department of Animal Sciences may be consulted for specific career information and information about courses required for the Bachelor of Science degree program.

Many courses for the poultry science major are offered only during summer, when students from around the Midwest travel to UW–Madison to take poultry science courses unavailable at their home schools. The course offerings reflect the role of the UW poultry science program and its collaboration with the Midwest Poultry Consortium. The department has numerous poultry-related scholarships available, and internships with poultry companies are strongly suggested. A student majoring in poultry science is placed in the Bachelor of Science degree program. This program is flexible enough to meet the individual needs and interests of the student.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and comprehension. Our students develop the working vocabulary of an animal scientist, a working knowledge of the basic anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and genetics of animal and meat biology, and the applied nutrition, breeding, product harvest and processing skills, necessary to manage animal production systems. Students demonstrate their knowledge through rigorous examination and demonstration through hands?on instructional laboratory activities.
Analytical processing. Our students develop the ability to reduce complex datasets and scientific information into meaningful relationships and correlations, and using the scientific literature, they can develop hypotheses to test the cause of predicted relationships using the scientific method. Students demonstrate these skills through a senior capstone experience and through individualized research opportunities and instructional activities.
Integration for application. When faced with real world problems which they have never confronted, our students are able to apply their knowledge to develop solutions. In addition, our students are capable of identifying problems yet to be investigated and in need o f advanced study. The student’s ability to integrate and apply their knowledge is demonstrated through our internship programs, animal related job experiences, club activities, and problems sets that students solve in exams and laboratory settings.
Critical thinking. Students find their sources of information using peer reviewed research articles. They learn not only to question popular press, but understand that even in the scientific literature there are contradictory findings. They have the capacity to synthesize scientific literature such that they can communicate a position backed with strong scientific support. These skills are demonstrated through the reading, writing and discussion of science-based papers in key courses during their educational process and through an oral presentation in their capstone course.
Effective communication. Students graduate from our department with the ability to communicate, both in writing and orally, the science behind the biology and management of domestically farmed animals. Their communications provide new insights into animal production, and are explained in a manner fitting with the audience.