Dartmouth College

What you'll study

Although Dartmouth does not run a dedicated PhD programme in veterinary medicine, doctoral students pursuing research on veterinary epidemiology and public health typically register in a related Dartmouth doctoral programme in population health, epidemiology, health policy or quantitative biomedical sciences. Course and research emphasis is on:

• Advanced epidemiologic methods — study design, outbreak investigation, longitudinal and case–control methods, and causal inference frameworks applicable to zoonotic and animal population studies.
• Biostatistics and quantitative methods — generalized linear models, mixed-effects models, survival analysis, Bayesian methods and computational approaches used for large animal and ecological datasets.
• One Health and comparative epidemiology — conceptual foundations linking human, animal and environmental health, transmission ecology and interfaces between domestic, agricultural and wildlife populations.
• Infectious disease dynamics — mathematical and simulation modelling of transmission, basic reproductive number estimation, vaccination and control strategies in multi-host systems.
• Data science and informatics — spatial epidemiology, remote-sensing and GIS methods, pathogen genomics and bioinformatics approaches increasingly applied to veterinary pathogens.
• Policy, ethics and implementation — translating epidemiologic findings into regulatory, surveillance and intervention strategies; risk communication and ethics in animal and public health.
• Research practicum and dissertation — an extended independent research project under faculty supervision, often undertaken with collaborators in state or federal public-health agencies, agricultural extension services or external veterinary schools.

Entry requirements

Entry is to Dartmouth’s relevant doctoral programmes rather than a named PhD in veterinary epidemiology. Typical admissions expectations include:

• Academic background — a bachelor’s degree with honours plus a relevant master’s-level qualification or a professional degree (for example DVM, MD, MSc) in veterinary science, biological sciences, epidemiology, public health, statistics or a closely related field.
• Quantitative preparation — prior coursework in statistics, calculus and research methods is highly desirable; demonstrable skill with data analysis or programming (R, Python, SAS, etc.) strengthens an application.
• Research experience — prior supervised research, publications or strong practicum experience in epidemiology, infectious disease or veterinary/public-health settings is preferred.
• Application materials — academic transcripts, CV, statement of purpose outlining research interests and fit with Dartmouth faculty, and letters of recommendation from academic or professional referees.
• Fit and mentorship — successful applicants typically identify potential faculty supervisors whose research aligns with veterinary epidemiology or One Health; evidence of a clear research plan and proposed collaborators is an asset.

Career prospects

Graduates who combine doctoral training at Dartmouth with veterinary or comparative-health research pursue a variety of careers across sectors:

• Academic researcher or faculty — positions in universities or research institutes focusing on veterinary epidemiology, infectious disease ecology, or One Health.
• Government and public health agencies — roles in national or state public-health and animal-health agencies, disease surveillance, outbreak response and policy development.
• International organisations and NGOs — technical and leadership roles in organisations working on zoonoses, pandemic preparedness and animal health programmes.
• Industry and private sector — positions in pharmaceutical, diagnostics, agricultural technology or consulting firms addressing animal health, biosecurity and risk assessment.
• Data science and modelling roles — specialist analyst or modeller roles using large-scale animal health and ecological data for forecasting and decision support.

Why study at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth offers an intimate, interdisciplinary research environment that can support rigorous doctoral work relevant to veterinary epidemiology through its health-policy, population-health and quantitative science strengths. Key advantages include:

• Interdisciplinary mentorship — close faculty supervision from experts in epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and computational modelling, enabling cross-cutting One Health projects.
• Collaborative networks — access to clinical and public-health partners through the Geisel School of Medicine and regional agencies, and opportunities to collaborate with veterinary schools or state animal-health services for field studies.
• Small cohort, personalised training — small doctoral cohorts facilitate tailored coursework, close mentorship and direct involvement in grant-funded research projects.
• Strong quantitative and data resources — training in advanced analytic methods, computational facilities and support for spatial and genomic epidemiology work.
• Emphasis on applied impact — culture of translating research into policy and practice, with pathways to engage with public-health decision-makers and international partners on zoonotic disease control.

If you are specifically seeking a formal PhD programme in veterinary medicine, including extensive clinical or herd-health training, consider applying to institutions that host veterinary colleges while exploring collaborative doctoral opportunities with Dartmouth for the quantitative and policy dimensions of your research.