Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that is directed at diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of animals. The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) is a generalist degree that allows the veterinarian to practice medicine on all species of animals. Some students may wish to specialize and these students would pursue additional training through internships and residencies.

The pre-veterinary medicine curriculum is designed to prepare students for admissions to the professional schools of veterinary medicine. The pre-veterinary medicine curriculum offers basic required courses but the student should contact the individual professional veterinary medicine school about requirements specific to that school. The student should consult with an advisor to help plan a course of study that complies with the requirements for admission to the school of veterinary medicine of the student’s choice.

In general, most schools of veterinary medicine will require coursework (usually one year each) in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and mathematics. These courses should be those that the major would take. In addition some schools of veterinary medicine may require additional coursework in biochemistry, genetics, physiology, embryology and statistics along with coursework in English, humanities and the social sciences. A pre-veterinary medicine student at USD could use the suggested curriculum for the pre-medicine program as a guide in completing veterinary medicine prerequisites.

Generally, schools of veterinary medicine require at least 90 semester hours of pre-veterinary medicine coursework and students are encouraged to obtain the Bachelor’s degree. The student is free to major in any area of interest. Admission to a school of veterinary medicine is based upon such qualities as academic preparation, character and general fitness for the field of veterinary medicine. Most veterinary medicine schools participate in the Veterinary Medicine College Application Service (VMCAS) and require the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) for admission.

For more information about veterinary medicine contact: American Veterinary Medical Association (http://www.avma.org); the Association of American Veterinary Colleges (http://www.aavmc.org); Academic & Career Planning Center, 677-5381; Health Professions Advisor, 677-7273; or by visiting the following web site: http://admissions.usd.edu/academics/majors/pre-health-professions.cfm.