Companion Animal Management Certificate

Get Started on Your Certificate Today!

This certificate is an innovative approach to equipping students with knowledge and skills that may be applied in a variety of companion animal careers as well as in their personal lives. You will be able to develop practical solutions and management plans for needs related to training, nutrition and management of companion animal species.

Program highlights:

The certificate meets the demands of many exciting opportunities in veterinary medicine and the animal science industry.
The certificate is offered at graduate and undergraduate levels.
The certificate requires a total of 15 credit hours for completion.

Who should pursue this certificate?

This program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to delve deeper into concepts related to companion animals.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition per credit hour	$558.50
Instructional Support Fee per credit hour	$25.00

Tuition and fees listed are subject to change and do not include all possible charges. Additional fees may apply. Please refer to the master class schedule for individual course charges.

As a student in this program, you will learn to:

Understand anatomy and its relationship to function in evaluating companion animals
Apply psychological principles to train animals for specific activities
Discover the fundamentals of companion animal nutrition
Become adept at selection, nutrition, reproduction and marketing of companion animals
Grasp the social, physical and emotional benefits of the human-animal bond
Communicate effectively on the topic of animal health and welfare

What are some potential careers?

Program Structure

The Companion Animal Management Certificate at Mississippi State University requires the completion of six courses and a total of 15 credit hours.

Core Curriculum Courses
Course Number	Course Title	Hours
ADS 2202	Companion Animal Evaluation	2
ADS 2313	Animal Behavior & Training	3
ADS 3413	Companion Animal Nutrition	3
ADS 4513/6513	Companion Animal Management	3
ADS 4511/6511	Companion Animal Management Lab	1
ADS 4713/6713	Human-Animal Bond Shelter Management	3
Total Hours:		15

Admissions Process

Undergraduate Admissions

If you have never attended Mississippi State University, please complete the online Undergraduate Admissions Application.

You will choose Special Non-Degree as your major and Online Education as your campus.
Request that official ACT or SAT scores be sent to MSU.
Request that your high school send your official transcript. Faxed transcripts will not be accepted.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
If you are able to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them to admit@msstate.edu.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:

PLEASE NOTE

In general, students who are not admitted into a degree program are not eligible for student financial aid funds. For more information please visit Student Financial Aid to see if you will be eligible or not while taking courses for the Companion Animal Management Certificate.

Graduate Admissions

If you are applying unclassified, select "Graduate School - Unclassified" as the college.

Submit online application
One official transcript showing bachelor’s degree or progress toward degree. (For international students, please submit a copy in native language along with translated copies, if appropriate.)
One official transcript showing ALL work after bachelor’s degree. (For international students, please submit a copy in native language along with translated copies, if appropriate.)
- Electronic transcripts should be sent to: gradapps@grad.msstate.edu Mississippi State University, Graduate School. Only one copy of an electronic transcript is required.
- Paper Transcripts Address (USPS):
  Mississippi State University
  The Office of the Graduate School
  P.O. Box G
  Mississippi State, MS 39762
- Physical Street Address (for DHL, Fed Ex, UPS, DHS, etc.):
  Mississippi State University
  The Office of the Graduate School
  175 President Circle
  116 Allen Hall
  Mississippi State, MS 39762
Pay $60 non-refundable application processing fee