Veterinary schools are highly selective, despite the ever-increasing number of applicants.
Becoming a veterinarian requires a significant amount of schooling -- eight years in total for most students -- and a solid knowledge of hard science, medicine and veterinary care. Veterinarians must not only earn a college degree in veterinary medicine before practicing, but must also be licensed by the state.
Degree Programs
To practice veterinary medicine, a student must obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from one of the 28 accredited colleges in the United States. Schools require a bachelor's degree or a minimum of 45 to 90 credit hours in undergraduate studies. Before applying to a school of veterinary medicine, students should take courses in subjects such as biology, physiology, physics, zoology and chemistry. Students must also take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), depending on their graduate program of choice.
Licensing
Veterinarians must receive a veterinary license before practicing legally. The terms and requirements of the license vary from state to state, but all require the practitioner to have graduated from an accredited veterinary school and have passed the National American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).
Coursework
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs can be completed in four years. Students should expect to take classes on topics such as anatomy, neuroscience, animal nutrition, hematology, genetics, parasitology, immunology, epidemiology, pharmacology, toxicology, reproduction, oncology, pathology, large and small animal radiology, food animal medicine, veterinary ethics and clinical skills. Fourth year students often must work clinical rotations and externships (job shadowing).
Advanced Programs
Students who have earned a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine degree can move on to professional degree programs such Master of Preventative Veterinary Medicine (MPVM). A Master of Preventative Veterinary Medicine researches and investigates disease, and implements or designs disease control for animal and wildlife populations.
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