The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine offers the option to simultaneously pursue a veterinary degree and graduate training leading to a MS or PhD degree. This offers highly qualified and strongly motivated students the opportunity to prepare for research careers in the biomedical sciences. Students typically are able to meet the requirements of the MS and DVM degree in four to five years and the PhD degree and DVM degree in six to seven years. Applicants must be admitted to the Graduate School following acceptance into the College of Veterinary Medicine. To be eligible for Graduate School, the veterinary student must hold a baccalaureate degree, or equivalent credits, and possess an outstanding undergraduate record. Students should identify a faculty member with expertise in their area of research interest to serve as their major professor. Application to the Graduate School must be made through the academic department and/or interdisciplinary graduate program with which the major professor is affiliated. Subsequent course registration is the responsibility of the student, his/her major professor, and the academic department/graduate program. Students have a wide choice of research training opportunities. Areas of concentration in the College of Veterinary Medicine include immunology and infectious diseases, cancer, neuroscience, musculoskeletal biology and orthopedics, and animal welfare and human-animal bond. Students may also elect to pursue graduate research at Purdue University in departments outside the College of Veterinary Medicine.