Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Health Sciences Department

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Pre-professional

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For the Love of Animals

Have you always wanted to be a veterinarian? The first step to getting there is attending a strong undergraduate program that helps you prepare by meeting pre-requisite requirements. You’ll find this at Guilford.

As a Pre-Veterinary Medicine student you may major in any discipline as long as you complete the necessary pre-requisite courses for veterinary school. If you are a Health Sciences major, you will work closely with your advisers to design an individualized course of study. This allows you to complete the required science and social science courses to prepare for you for admission to your chosen veterinary program. Additionally, animal nutrition is required by a number of graduate schools. While at Guilford, this course can be taken through the consortium at N.C. A&T University or online at N.C. State or Purdue universities.

Health Science majors also take the Health Science Seminar, a course designed to help you with the graduate school application process, from preparing your personal statement to interview tips and financial planning. During the course, Guilford alumni who are currently in or recently graduated from graduate programs in the health professions often come back to share experiences with current students.

Take a look at this sample double major for the Pre-Veterinary Medicine program. This course of study satisfies the pre-requisites for a graduate program in the health professions while also fulfilling major requirements.

Guilford graduates have or are currently attending veterinary school at Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, Ross University, University of Georgia, University of Minnesota, University of Tennessee, and Washington State University.

College Catalog

For more information about courses for the Pre-Veterinary Medicine program and the Health Sciences Department, visit the online, searchable College Catalog. In addition to the Undergraduate Catalog, information includes academic department and major information as well as academic regulations and resources; admission standards and requirements; and tuition, fees and financial aid information.

Applying to Veterinary School

The GRE is the standardized test most students who wish to apply to veterinary school should take. The exam should be taken in summer of the year in which you plan to apply. For example, if you plan to enter vet school the fall after you graduate, you should take the test before or during the summer of your junior year.

Most vet schools use the online application service VMCAS, which distributes the information to the students’ chosen schools. The completed applications should be submitted by mid-summer of the year before the student plans enter vet school. For example, if you plan to enter vet school the fall after you graduate, you should submit the applications during the summer of your junior year.

Dedicated faculty are also available to offer expert guidance during the application process.

Prerequisite Course Requirements for Veterinary School

Note that admission requirements vary by program. Health sciences majors should work with their adviser to make sure they are taking the correct pre-requisite courses for the graduate programs they plan to apply to. Chemistry 111 and 112 and Biology 111 should be taken during your first year at Guilford because they are pre-requisites for other required courses.

BIOL 111 — Integrative Biology: Molecules and Cells
BIOL 112 — Integrative Biology: Organisms, Ecology and Evolution
BIOL 315 — Microbiology
BIOL/CHEM 4343 — Biochemistry
BIOL 443 — Genetics
CHEM 111 — Chemical Principles I
CHEM 112 — Chemical Principles II
CHEM 231 — Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 232 — Organic Chemistry II
PHYS 111 — Introduction to Physics for the Life Sciences I (or) PHYS 117 Physics I
PHYS 112 — Introduction to Physics for the Life Sciences II (or) PHYS 118 Physics II
Math 112 — Elementary Statistics
MATH 121 — Calculus I
Animal nutrition is required by number of schools and can be taken through the consortium at NC A&T or online at several universities, including NCSU and Purdue University
Admissions requirements for veterinary medicine schools

Hands-on Learning

Veterinary schools require experience in the veterinary field before entering their program. This experience can be gained through internships, volunteer work and summer jobs. Both the pre-health professions faculty advisers and CAPE can help students find these experiences.