Preparation in Undergraduate College

Selection of Colleges

The Admissions Committee accepts credit and grades from any U.S. accredited institution of higher learning. To ensure proper counseling and support, it is advised that undergraduate work be acquired at an institution with an active pre-veterinary medical club.

Students enrolled in the University of Missouri-Columbia are not given preference when applying for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine unless they qualify for the Pre-Veterinary Medicine Scholars or AgScholars Programs.

Undergraduate Majors

Since some students interested in becoming veterinarians are not accepted into veterinary medical college, students should emphasize a bachelor’s degree program rather than pre-veterinary medical studies. A student should enroll in the school/college offering the degree major selected as a career alternative to veterinary medicine. Most pre-veterinary medical students enroll in animal science, biology, or biochemistry.

Type and Sequence of Undergraduate Courses

Students should be guided by the requirements of their degree majors and our pre-veterinary requirements. Catalogs and bulletins usually provide good direction, particularly with regard to required courses in the major. Students should consult their advisors about supporting courses and electives which will strengthen their majors.

The following courses and credit hours must be taken in residence at an accredited institution of higher learning to qualify for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine.

* Multiply quarter credits by 0.67 to convert to semester credits.
** 5 hr. in only the first of a companion series in physics will not suffice.

Students should take in-depth courses in these areas

A- Inorganic chemistry courses which prepare them for organic chemistry and, finally, biochemistry;

B- Biology Department courses which may be selected from zoology and botany or as required in foundation courses for a biology major.

NOTE: Whenever there is doubt as to whether a course will fulfill the requirements to apply, the applicant should contact the Admissions Advisor, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, as soon as possible. If the course is acceptable, the applicant is advised to include a copy of the Associate Dean’s response letter with the completed application forms.

Elective Courses

The faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine strongly encourage applicants to include as many of the following courses as possible among their electives. We have found that anatomy and physiology are especially challenging for students lacking a background in those subjects.

• Animal Nutrition
• Animal Reproduction
• Anatomy
• Animal Husbandry
• Physiology
• Business or Accounting
• Genetics
• Microbiology
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Cell Biology
• Any Biomed 1000-3000 level course at MU.
  

Courses Which Are Not Accepted as Meeting Intended Requirements

Actual course selection should be rigorous and demanding. The student who has difficulty in the professional curriculum is usually one who has never been previously challenged academically. Rudimentary courses in science, usually described as “not for science majors” are unacceptable for the required courses to apply for admission. Animal Science courses do not qualify toward the 10 credit hours necessary in biological sciences except for those which are cross listed in both departments or an equivalent arrangement as determined by the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Problems, correspondence, topics, research, seminars, readings, or independent study courses are not accepted for admission purposes. Distance learning courses are not accepted for admission purposes, except for those which are accepted for partial fulfillment of the requirements toward a baccalaureate degree in biology, chemistry, or animal science at the University of Missouri.

College course credits acquired outside the United States are accepted for admission purposes only if they are credited with grades and semester credit hours on a transcript from a college or university in the United States.

Courses taken on the P/F or S/U grading system are not counted for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine. If the grade below a D is made in a required course, the course must be repeated.

Students may use credit by examination to substitute for pre-veterinary requirements only if their institution accepts those credits in lieu of a specific required course.

Courses taken to meet requirements for a 2-year technical degree such as veterinary technology or practical nursing are included in the cumulative GPA calculations. However, restricted enrollment 2-year technical degree courses are not accepted to meet minimum course requirements nor included in the last 3 semesters’ GPA or average course load.

Time Required in Undergraduate Preparation

Students accepted into the College of Veterinary Medicine have usually completed an average of 120 semester hours - 60 hours more than the minimum number required for admission.

Requirement for Observation of the Profession

Applicants are required to spend a minimum of 40 hours observing one or more veterinarians actively engaged in their normal work environment. Observation must be as a third person, not as a client. (i.e., small or large animal practice, public health, laboratory animal medicine, or research). The veterinarians observed by the applicant should be among the 4 invited external reviewers.