Pre-Veterinary

Students interested in a career in veterinary medicine require four years of study at a veterinary college, followed by professional licensing.  A bachelor’s degree is not required for admission at most veterinary colleges but having a bachelor’s degree is preferable. However, coursework for students majoring in Biology complement most of the course prerequisites. The admission process is highly competitive, and the course requirement varies from college to college. Students should work closely with the Pre-health Advisor to identify schools of interest and meet appropriate requirements for admissions.

Many schools require an admission test, usually the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the MCAT. However, some schools do not require any tests anymore. The minimum GPA and test scores requirements vary among the colleges. The overall average GPA of the admitted students is 3.6 or better. In addition to specific coursework, volunteer or animal contact hours are very important for the pre-vet students. Some schools require a particular number of volunteering hours for application.

Course Requirements

One year of chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and physics, all with labs, and one year of English/Writing are required. Most also require one-semester biochemistry and statistics.

Course Name	Hilbert Course #	Credits
Two semesters of General Biology with Lab (required)	BI 140, BI 141	8
Two semesters of General Chemistry with Lab (required)	CH 140, CH 141	8
Two semesters of Organic Chemistry with Lab (required)	CH 311, CH 313	8
Two semesters of General Physics with Lab (required)	PY 140, PY 141	8
Two semesters of English/Writing (required)	EN 101, EN 102	6
Biochemistry (required)	BI 320	4
Statistics (highly recommended)	MA 200	3
Calculus (recommended)	MA 205	3
Genetics (recommended)	BI 300	4
Microbiology (recommended)	BI 220	4