Pre-Veterinary Medicine

 

The Zoology Major is your best bet into Veterinary school. A Pre-vet curriculum through the zoology department typically takes four years, though qualified students may apply for admission to vet school before completing their degree. Follow the zoology requirements in the WSU catalog, and you'll pick up most of the required courses en route! (Be aware that there is no "pre-vet" major)
For questions, contact Dr. Ron Meyers.

 "Biology": most vet schools require at least one year, with labs, including Genetics and Microbiology.

Requirements for zoology major: 

  • Principles of Zoology  (1110) and Diversity of Animals (2220);

  • Genetics (3300);

  • Cell Biology (3200); 

  • Evolution (3720); 

  • Ecology (3450);

  • Comparative Physiology (3600)

  • Senior Seminar (4990).

Among your (4 classes minimum above 3000-level) elective upper division hours, try to take:

  • Comparative Anatomy (4050); 

  • Embryology (4100); 

  • Histology (4120); 

  • Parasitology (4500)

    Mammalogy (4680)

*The Zoology major also requires microbiology / botany courses as support. See course list for details.

Chemistry: Counts towards the Zoology Major


• Principles of Chemistry I & II (Chem 1210, 1220 @ 5 ea);

• Organic Chemistry I (Chem 2310 @ 5 );

• Biochemistry I (Chem 3070 @ 4)

Note: Some vet schools want 2 full semesters of Organic Chemistry plus Biochemistry

Physics: One semester, with laboratory (counts towards the zoology major):


General Physics I  w/ Lab (Phsx 2010 + 2010L)

or

Calculus Physics I w/ Lab (Phsx 2210 + 2210L)

Note: Some vet schools want 2 semesters of Physics


Mathematics: Varies by school. For example, Utah State/Washington State requires College Algebra, Pre-Calculus or higher AND Statistics; check specific school requirements. Taking Math through Calculus will maximize the schools you can apply to!

• College Algebra (Math QL 1050) or above is the requirement for the Zoology major, along with Stats

• Intro to Statistics (Math QL 1040 @ 3) or Statistics in Psychology *(Psych 3600 @ 3) or Social Statistics* (Soc 3600 @ 3) [* counts as upper division]


General Education: Most schools require between 10 - 24 credits in
humanities. These should include:
*Principles of Public Speaking (Comm HU 1020 @ 3)
*Introduction to Interpersonal and Small Group Communication (Comm HU 1050 @ 3)
*Introduction to Writing (Eng 1010 @ 3)
See the WSU catalog for specific GenEd requirements

Individual veterinary schools may have specific course requirements such as calculus, embryology, animal nutrition, etc.Check with the individual schools to match requirements exactly. Get information on specific schools so that you can match pre-requisites appropriately. The AAVMC website has info on veterinary medicine.



Utah State University now has a Veterinary Program in which students spend their first two years in Logan, and then attend Washington State University Veterinary College for their final two years. Their specific requirement are here.


VMCAS is a central application service for vet schools; they have a common application and lots of information on requirements for these schools:

What else can you do to increase your chances for acceptance to vet school?

1. Get good grades!
2. Work or shadow or volunteer with a veterinarian,
3. Get involved in a zoology research project,
4. Get good letters of recommendation - ask me how!
5. Get involved in extracurricular groups such as the Pre-Vet and/or Zoology Clubs,
6. Study hard for the GRE (must be taken before VMCAS application submitted),

If you are interested in becoming a Veterinary Technician, check this link. There is no such program at Weber and a vet tech degree/certificate is not presently required by the state.


Website updated: March 2021