Advisor: Clark Cotton
Graduate programs in veterinary medicine consider majors in any discipline to be acceptable for admission. However, significant coursework in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are prerequisites for entry. Entrance requirements for schools of veterinary medicine vary; students should inform themselves of the courses required by the school which they plan to attend. A pre-requisite chart for entrance into all veterinary schools can be found at http://www.aavmc.org/data/files/vmcas/prereqchart.pdf. Admission to veterinary medicine programs is competitive and the admission process considers courses, grades, performance on Graduate Record Exam, animal experience, veterinary medicine exposure, personal interviews at the veterinary schools during the senior year, and letters of evaluation. General information can be found at the Veterinary Application site (http://www.aavmc.org/Students-Applicants-and-Advisors/Veterinary-Medical-College-Application-Service.aspx) or at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (http://www.aavmc.org/).
There are a limited number of veterinary programs in the country and some specialize in different areas of veterinary medicine (i.e. exotic animals, large production animals, equine, etc..). Therefore, it is highly recommended that students look at the various programs and identify their own potential schools of interest. In addition, the pre-requisites do vary from program to program. The following courses are recommended as generally fulfilling prerequisites for schools of veterinary medicine:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| BIOL 101 | Foundations of Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 201 | Intermediate Cell Biology and Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 307 | Biology of Microorganisms 1 | 4 |
| BIOL 316 | General Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 317 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 125 | Introduction to Chemical Structure and Properties | 4 |
| CHEM 250 | Reactions of Nucleophiles and Electrophiles (Reactivity 1) | 4 |
| CHEM 255 | Macroscopic Chemical Analysis (Inorganic and quantitative) | 4 |
| CHEM 251 | Intermediate Reactions of Nucleophiles and Electrophiles (Reactivity 2) (only required if a full year of organic is required) | 4 |
| |
| CHEM 201 | Purification and Separation Lab I | 1 |
| CHEM 202 | Purification and Chromatography Lab II | 1 |
| CHEM 205 | Chemical Measurement Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 203 | Synthesis Lab (if two semesters of organic is required) | 1 |
| MATH 124 | Probability and Statistical Inference | 4 |
| MATH 119 | Calculus I | 4 |
| PHYS 105 | Physics for the Life Sciences I | 4 |
| PHYS 106 | Physics for the Life Sciences II | 4 |
- Some veterinary programs require courses in anatomy and physiology. It is recommended that students take BIOL 323 Animal Physiology and BIOL 330 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates at CSB/SJU.
- Some veterinary programs also require a course in writing, a public speaking course, and some general coursework in the Humanities.
In addition, it is recommended that you obtain some significant experience working with animals and shadowing veterinarians. In fact, some schools specifically ask for a letter of recommendation from a veterinarian.
Additional Requirements:
General Education Requirements:
All undergraduate students must complete the requirements of the Integrations Curriculum (IC) which is designed to ensure all of our students receive a liberal arts education. Please review details of the Integrations Curriculum requirements here.
Graduation Requirements:
In addition to the Integrations Curriculum, all undergraduate students must meet the following minimum degree requirements to earn their degree from CSB and SJU.
Credits: 124 total credits, 40 of which must be from upper division coursework
GPA: 2.0 or higher*
Residency: At least 24 of your last 32 credits must be completed at CSB/SJU
Please visit Graduation under the Academic Policies and Regulations portion of the catalog for additional details regarding degree requirements.
* Cumulative GPA as well as major(s)/minor(s) GPA. Please note some majors/minors may require a higher GPA to earn their degree.
