Taylor Walker: Animal Science MPS program an incredibly inventive space

Animal Science
Animals

When Taylor Walker MPS'25 finished her undergraduate studies, she wanted to continue learning but was not ready for a long graduate program. Then she discovered the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Animal Science degree.

When I finished my undergraduate studies in marine science at Boston University, I looked for a way to continue learning. Then I found out about the one-year MPS program focusing on animal science. To help me decide whether to apply, I read some of the term papers written by past MPS students about their capstone projects. The topics encouraged me to ask questions that I knew could be answered if I got in.

I especially appreciated the capstone project carried out by Noel Acor, MPS’24. She taught a college-level course to gain experience in research and teaching for a future in academia. Reading about her project proved to me that the MPS program was an incredibly inventive space.

As an MPS student, I have had multiple opportunities to learn and explore, and I have been excited to make the most of them. The program has the exact components that I want to get out of my education experience. I love that it is meant for those who wanted to obtain careers in the industry or government rather than academia.

The program has the exact components that I want to get out of my education experience. I love that it is meant for those who wanted to obtain careers in the industry or government rather than academia.

I have enjoyed finding out new things about animals and plants. For example, I took a class called ANSC 4200: Nutrition of Cats and Dogs that went into detail regarding the pet food industry. I learned the importance of ingredients in pet food that I would have overlooked otherwise. When I went home for the break, I was proud that I could point out the purpose of the ingredients in my dog’s food.

I have also made a lot of connections with other students in the MPS program. Graduate programs can be much smaller than undergraduate ones, and I was lucky to connect with my cohort—as well as students in other fields—shortly after I met them. Having these relationships has also made learning more fun because I have people I can talk to about the things I learn and also people to go to if I don’t understand a concept.

a woman holds a bag in a horse stall while the horse looks in it — Walker removes a manure collection bag from Canada, one of her test subjects. Photo by Jackie Swift.

Now I am working on my MPS research project with Animal Science Professor Nathalie Trottier. The project explores the digestibility of hemp for horses. Hemp seed meal has high protein and a healthy composition of fat and fiber that would make for a sustainable alternative to approved animal feed. Currently, it has only been approved as a feed ingredient for laying hens.

The purpose of our research is to determine the nutritional value of hemp seed meal fed to horses and then provide that data to the Food and Drug Administration and the Association of American Feed Control Officials. In the end, the data will go toward validating the use of hemp seed meal in animal diets.

We are focused on this crop because it is sustainable and it is in surplus, which leads to excessive waste. If it can be approved as an alternative feed ingredient for livestock and pets, that would lead to environmental and economic gain from the consumption of hemp seed meal by animals.

a woman holds a large syringe full of manure — Once she has collected the manure from the horses, Walker selects a sample to test the pH. Photo by Jackie Swift.

I will finish my MPS program at the end of the spring semester. It has been a perfect start to my graduate studies due to the length and expectations. It gives me in-depth experience with the exact things I want to do in the future: work full time in the animal care industry and maybe one day become an educator.

Taylor Walker MPS’25 is a graduate student in the Animal Science Department.

Taylor Walker: Animal Science MPS program an incredibly inventive space

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