Veterinary Medicine Preparation Guide

Requirements

  • To practice as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the U.S., you must earn a doctor of veterinary medicine and become licensed in the state you wish to practice. The length of professional DVM programs is typically four years, with an optional residency of 3-5 additional years

General Veterinary School application information is available at http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/vmcas.htm. Required coursework varies from school to school. Students should contact a specific campus to be certain they are meeting the requirements for the individual school where they wish to apply.

 

CALIFORNIA VETERINARY MEDICINE SCHOOL INFORMATION

UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE:

Applicants must have earned a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university before entering the School of Veterinary Medicine. The minimum GPA is 2.50 for both the required sciences and cumulative college coursework. However, CA applicants in the class of 2022 had a mean cumulative GPA of 3.86.

Additional Requirements and Considerations:

  • Animal/Veterinary experience – substantial experience with animals is required. Activities must entail relevant veterinary and animal experiences with types of activities that give an appreciation and understanding of the profession of veterinary medicine. A minimum of 180 hours of experience must be met in order to have an application evaluated. Admitted students have an average of 1,500 hours of veterinary-related experience, which includes working with veterinarians.

  • Three letters of recommendation, at least one from a veterinarian

  • Personal statement of motivation/career goals

  • Interview

Lower Division Required Coursework:

  • The most commonly required course prerequisites are:
    • Chemistry 3A/L and 3B
    • Chem 8 or Chem 12A and 12B
    • Biology 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3
    • General Physics 20A and 20B
    • Math 15 (Statistics)

Upper Division Subject Requirements: Genetics, Biochemistry, Physiology -- Not Articulated

WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE:

At the Western University of Health Sciences located in Pomona, CA, the DVM program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). You can visit their website for details on prerequisites and the application process. https://www.westernu.u/veterinary/ed

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