The Department of Animal Production provides opportunities for students in multi-disciplinary research and study based on major disciplines. These disciplines help students to broaden their understanding of animal production projects and agriculture and enhance their awareness of the local environment. It prepares students to be professionals in the field of Animal Production to meet the need of the Kurdistan Region and to develop this important sector to contribute to the economic growth of the region.
Several projects have been carried out by this department like the animal production project started in 1994. This project has the capacity of breeding 30 cows and about 500 goats and sheep. The other one is the poultry production project consisting of 12,000 animals, which also started in 1994. Fish Production started in 1998-1999 by FAO and has six breeding pools with the capacity of breeding about 10,000 fish.
The department offers a 4-year B.Sc. program in Animal Production and a 2-year M.Sc. program as well as a Ph.D. program.
The staff of Animal Production Department
The staff of this department is rapidly growing in number and quality, it includes 99 academic staff: As follows:
Professors 1
Assistant professors 13
Lecturers 23
Assistant lecturers 11
Assistant researchers 3
MSc students 22
Ph.D. students 26
The number of first stage students in the department is 81
The number of second stage students in the department is 48
The number of third stage students in the department is 25
The number of fourth stage students in the department is 28
The Educational Program
The duration of the undergraduate curriculum in the department of animal production is four years divided into (8) semesters, in addition to practical training for a month during summer in the third year. The curriculum modules consist of theoretical teaching, laboratory exercise, seminars, and educational visits to related directorates, animal and poultry farms, factories producing animal feed, and so on. In order to facilitate achieving the mission of the department, animal production activities may divide into several means of interest including the Production and management of large farm animals and poultry, nutrition, physiology, genetics, and technology of the animal product.