Graduate Certificate
Core Courses
Advanced Beef Production is aimed at students with an interest in the Beef Cattle Industry. The course combines principles of farm and ranch land acquisition and management, along with: breeding, nutrition, reproduction, health and disease prevention, life cycle management of the calf crop, as well as marketing alternatives for the producer. Retained ownership of the calf crop past weaning through the stocker and/or feedlot phase will be discussed and evaluated financially. New and emerging technologies will also be discussed.
This course explores concepts in equine nutrition including digestive physiology of horses, nutrient requirements for different classes of horses and feed management. Ration evaluation and balancing, as well as problem solving will be a core component to this course.
Introduction to the basic concepts of growth with emphasis on domestic mammals. Growth of the major classes of animal tissues and regulation by endogenous and exogenous factors. Relationship to efficiency of animal production.
Concepts and theories of the basis for and determination of nutrient requirements in non-ruminant species including principles of feed formulation. An emphasis on scientific literature and current research related to non-ruminant nutrition.
Applied concepts in ruminant nutrition for the practicing agricultural professional. Protein, energy, vitamin and mineral nutrition in relation to the nutritional needs and practical feeding of beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, and goats. New developments in feeding systems, feed additives and the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders. Emphasis on solving problems in case studies. Prerequisite: Animal Nutrition course and background knowledge of Ruminant Animal Management.
Evaluation of breeds of cattle, sheep and swine with emphasis on breed comparison research and breed history. Examination of appropriate use of existing breed resources and development of new breeds.
Theories and methods used in meat science in determination of tissue growth; compositional techniques; muscle protein and lipid organization, structure, and function; biochemical conversion of muscle to meat, and its impact on meat quality and palatability in meat animals.
Current reproductive management techniques for each of the major mammalian livestock species. Enable students to develop reproductive decision making skills.
Quantitative and population genetic theory of sound breeding programs for domestic animals including, variation, heredity, selection, estimation of breeding values, systems of mating, and performance testing.
Program Summary
Cost per credit hour:
2023-2024: $600
2024-2025: $610
Learn more about Tuition and Cost
15 Hours
University Contact
These campus coordinators can help you navigate Great Plains IDEA. Click on the university name to learn more about how Great Plains IDEA works at that campus.
Clemson University
Kaycee KeaslerBria Sledge
Stacy Duffield
Brianna Cooper-Kordinak
Sarah (Heewon) Kim
Dana Dove
As a non-traditional college student in my early 50s, living and working in the Pacific Island of Guam, choosing the right program for graduate studies was very important to me. The process of selecting the right program was intentional – it had to offer a diverse student population, professors with real-life experiences, a safe space to share cultural perspectives, and a curriculum that offered classes that were aligned with students’ educational and professional goals. The Great Plains IDEA program met and exceeded all my expectations. Concepts from every course have been applied in my profession to the extent that it has aided in the expansion of our services and the population we serve. As I reflect on these successes, I attribute much of it to the genuine care of the GP IDEA professors who were as passionate about the success of each student as they were in the subjects they taught. GP IDEA was definitely the right program for me!