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Curriculum
The four-year curriculum for students in the professional program of veterinary medicine consists of four phases:
- Phase I (two semesters) totals 40 credits and focuses on normality. It includes such topics as normal structure and function, animal science, basic radiology, nutrition, physiology, immunology, and clinical examination.
- Phase II (two semesters) totals 40 credits and focuses on abnormality. Topics in this phase include principles of pathology (including clinical pathology); pharmacology; toxicology; surgery; anesthesia; epidemiology; public health; and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and respiratory diseases.
- Phase III (one semester) totals 21 credits and emphasizes intervention and prevention. Coursework covers the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases and their relationships to the physiological systems.
- Phase IV (four semesters) totals 60 credits: 33 credits of required clerkships and 27 credits of elective clerkships . Required clerkships are in equine medicine, food-animal medicine, small-animal medicine and surgery, anesthesia, diagnostic imaging, and diagnostic pathology. The clinical curriculum includes about 50 elective clerkships that represent a wide range of disciplines and specialties.
Students in the professional program also receive instruction in medical communications, professional ethics, animal welfare, practice management, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking.
The veterinary curriculum uses live animals in teaching clinical skills. The humane treatment of animals is a fundamental principle of the instructional program, and, where possible, the use of normal, healthy animals has been reduced and replaced by computer and video-assisted modules. Each course is reviewed annually to ensure an optimal learning experience.
A total of 161 credits with a grade-point average of at least 2.00 must be completed to receive the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
