Most professional schools do not require a specific undergraduate major, although many applicants elect a biology or chemistry major because of the entrance requirements of the schools.

Veterinary School Admission

Admission to veterinary medicine schools is highly competitive.  Since vet schools have more qualified applicants for admission than they can accept, a competitive candidate will have: a strong academic background in math and science, a high GPA and placement test scores, broad exposure to veterinary medicine (e.g.  working with veterinarians and scientists, working on a farm or volunteering at an animal shelter), and research experience.

The minimum requirements for admission vary somewhat from institution to institution, but a typical list of requirements includes English Composition (6 semester hours), Speech or Technical Writing (3 hours), Biological Sciences with lab (8 hours), Microbiology (4 hours), Inorganic Chemistry with lab (8 semester hours), Organic Chemistry with lab (8 semester hours), Biochemistry (3 hours), Statistics (3 hours) Physics with lab (8 semester hours), and Social or Behavioral Sciences (6 semester hours). A quantitative background, including Calculus, is recommended.

Pre-veterinary students may take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or the Veterinary College Aptitude Test (VCAT), depending on the requirements for each school.  Students should plan to take the placement exam late in the spring of their junior year.  The Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) deadline is typically early September (~15th) and some schools have supplemental applications that must also be submitted by that time, so students should plan on applying the summer between junior and senior year for admission the following fall.

Students interested in veterinary medicine can contact Dr. Mabry in the Biology and Environmental Science Department, mabrym@dewv.edu.

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