Introduction:

The conceptual design of ICTAH's curriculum emphasizes integration of animal health and production within the framework of the tropics. Such an emphasis and focus on tropical animal health and production as well as the zoonoses and public health issues are addressed under courses listed as "special problems" and "research and thesis" in tropical animal health and production.
The successful completion of the curriculum will lead to a masters degree in Tropical Animal Health and Production. The title will be: Master of Science in Tropical Animal Health and Production. The academic program will be initiated during the 1987/88 academic year.
The curriculum consists of a recommended list of courses for the Masters degree in Tropical Animal Health and Production. Candidates with the DVM degree or a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate field such as Animal Science, Biology or related fields will qualify to apply to the program. The requirements for acceptance to the graduate program as well as other established policies and procedures of the Graduate School will apply to this program. A graduate student will be required to take the minimum number of thirty hours of graduate work as prescribed by the Graduate School of Tuskegee University.
For the degree, Masters of Science in Tropical Animal Health and Production, the program is designed to provide basic biomedical and animal agriculture and management technology courses. Under the direction of ICTAH and a designated major professor the actual composition and balance of the courses to be taken by each student will be tailored accordingly to emphasize or integrate animal health and production or a balanced proportion of both.
The available courses will enable graduate students to combine not only animal health and production but also such other courses as economics, education and management. An appropriate level of flexibility has been built into two courses entitled:

a) Special problems in Tropical Animal Health and Production,

b) Research on Tropical Animal Health and Production.

While enrolled in these two courses, a candidate may take special problem topics such as Aquaculture, poultry production, range management, business management, project administration etc. all geared to problem solving efforts of the tropics. Experts from other agencies and universities will be brought in to lecture in specialized areas of tropical development as the need arises.
Additionally, a candidate may be involved in short term training at selected USDA laboratories, the CDC and collaborating Universities.
The Center's academic program will have a balance between short-term and long-term training with special attention to areas that are important for tropical animal health and production. Unique aspects of the curriculum include problemsolving courses in the socio-economic role of livestock, tropical zoonoses, and other specific area studies. Systems based and problem oriented studies in disease control and animal production will be integrated so as to address development issues which focus on the farm ecosystem. Unlike the academically-oriented animal production and veterinary programs common in English speaking and Francophone Africa, the Center will selectively offer short courses to exceptional nonacademics, including mid-level practitioners and administrators.
The Center will take an uncommonly extensive look at the animal/human linkages. Existing centers of tropical health studies have failed to make substantive progress in solving third world livestock development problems. Their approach to training has been characterized by fragmentation of courses, narrow specialization and an over-emphasis on curative medicine. Tuskegee's Center has been designed to correct these shortcomings. This will be accomplished by including courses on administration, information management, production economics, project planning and other aspects of the development process.