Pre-Veterinary

DVM, DOCTOR OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

General Guidelines

You can prepare for a career in veterinary medicine at Lewis-Clark State College. Veterinarians first earn a bachelor’s degree, generally in a major that provides a strong foundation in biological and physical sciences, and they then complete veterinary school. 

Getting into veterinary school is a challenging and highly competitive process, but like other LC State graduates who have been admitted to veterinary school, you can meet the challenge by working with your advisor, taking required and recommended courses, earning good grades, doing well on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), completing a certain number of hours of animal and clinical experience, and participating in certain service activities.

Prerequisites for Admission to Veterinary School

Pre-requisites are what you need to complete as an undergraduate to apply for admission to veterinary school. 

Recommended Major: BA/BS in one of the following:

The majors above provide a strong foundation in the sciences, but students who major in a liberal arts degree such as English, communication arts, or a social science are also successful in getting admitted to veterinary school, provided they incorporate the required and recommended coursework below into their degree plans.  

Required Coursework:
In order to be admitted to most veterinary schools, you will need to complete a bachelor’s degree, including the following courses:

  • One year of introductory biology
  • One year of general chemistry
  • One semester of organic chemistry
  • One semester of biochemistry
  • A genetics course
  • One semester of physics
  • Statistics
  • Pre-calculus or higher math 

Recommended Coursework:

  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Microbiology
  • Embryology
  • Immunology
  • Second course in physics
  • Computer Science 

Other requirements for applying to Medical School:

  • Completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  • Strong GPA
  • Essay questions
  • Hours of animal and/or clinical experience (varies by program)
  • Undergraduate research
  • Letters of recommendation

Get Started

To begin your path toward a career in veterinary medicine, contact a pre-veterinary school advisor today: