Veterinary Medicine

The professional curriculum at UC Davis is a four-year program of academic study and clinical skills training leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Each student is provided with a broad foundation of knowledge and skills in comparative veterinary medicine, before choosing a species-specific stream in small or large animal. Following this, the flexible design allows students to focus on careers in small animal, large animal, equine, livestock, zoologic or mixed animal practices as well as poultry, laboratory animal, or research.

Ranked first among the "best veterinary schools in the United States" (U.S. News and World Report's 2015 Annual Guide to America's Best Graduate Schools), the School of Veterinary Medicine is a leader in veterinary medical education with a curriculum built on sound educational theory and designed and delivered by eminent faculty who are leaders in their fields.

Year 1 Curriculum

YEAR 1 FALL SEMESTER COURSES

• VET400 - Professional and Clinical Skills
• VET401 - Basic Foundations
• VET402 - Immunology/Hematology/Coagulation
• VET406 - Pharmacology/Nutrition/Toxicology
• VET407 - VMTH rotation

YEAR 1 SPRING SEMESTER COURSES

• VET400 - Professional and Clinical Skills
• VET403 - Musculoskeletal
• VET404 - Neuroscience/Senses/Behavior
• VET405 - Gastrointestinal/metabolism
• VET407 - VMTH Rotation

Year 2 Curriculum

YEAR 2 FALL SEMESTER COURSES

• VET408 - Cardiovascular/Respiratory
• VET409 - Renal/Urinary
• VET410 - Endocrine/Reproduction
• VET411 - Skin
• VET416 - VMTH Rotation
• VET417 - Professional & Clinical Skills

YEAR 2 SPRING SEMESTER CORE COURSES

• VET412 - Oncology
• VET413 - Immunology/Infectious Disease
• VET414 - Population Health
• VET415 - Clinical Foundations
• VET416 - VMTH Rotation
• VET417 - Professional & Clinical Skills

Year 3 Curriculum

YEAR 3 FALL SEMESTER COURSES

• VET430 - Core Stream
• VET431 - Anesthesia/Surgery Stream
• VET432A - Comparative Stream I
• VET432B - Comparative Stream II
• VET433A - Small Animal Stream I
• VET433B - Small Animal Stream II
• VET434A - Large Animal Stream I
• VET434B - Large Animal Stream II

YEAR 3 SPRING SEMESTER CORE COURSES

• VET430 - Core Stream
• VET431 - Anesthesia/Surgery Stream
• VET432C - Comparative Stream III
• VET433C - Small Animal Stream III
• VET435A - Large Animal Stream - Equine Emphasis
• VET435B - Large Animal - Livestock Emphasis
• VET435C - Large Animal Stream - Zoological Medicine Emphasis
• VET436 - Companion Small Mammal
• VET437 - Avian/Reptile
• VET438 - Poultry
• VET439 - Laboratory Animal
• VET440 - Business and Communication
• VET441 - Clinical Pathology

Year 4 Curriculum

• DVM447 - Education and Leadership
• VET449 - Externship
• DVM450 - Cardiology
• DVM451 - Clinical Pathology
• DVM452 - Small Animal Community Medicine
• DVM453 - Small Animal Community Surgery Gourley
• DVM454 - Companion Avian Pet Exotics
• DVM455 - Dentistry/Oral Surgery
• DVM456 - Dermatology
• DVM457 - Equine Emerg Critical Care Surgery
• DVM458 - Equine Emergency Nights
• DVM459 - Equine Field Service
• DVM460 - Equine Medicine - General
• DVM461 - Equine Reproduction
• DVM462 - Equine Surgery & Lameness I
• DVM463 - Farrier Shop
• DVM464 - Small Animal Community Surgery CCAH
• DVM465 - Equine Surgery & Lameness II
• DVM466 - Small Animal Medicine B
• DVM467 - Small Animal Outpatient Medicine
• DVM469 - California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Laboratory
• DVM470 - Food Animal Preceptorship
• DVM471 - Livestock Medicine
• DVM472 - Livestock Reproduction
• DVM473 - Dairy Production Medicine
• DVM474 - Equine Emergency Critical Care Medicine
• DVM475 - Laboratory Animal Medicine
• DVM476 - Large Animal Anesthesia
• DVM477 - Large Animal Radiology
• DVM478 - Large Animal Ultrasonography
• DVM479 - Small Animal Emergency PM
• DVM480 - Neurology/Neurosurgery
• DVM481 - Nutrition
• DVM482 - Oncology
• DVM483 - Ophthalmology
• DVM484 - Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery
• DVM485 - Anatomic Pathology
• DVM486 - Primate Medicine
• DVM487 - Radiation Oncology
• DVM488 - Shelter Medicine
• DVM489 - Physical Rehabilitation
• DVM490 - Small Animal Anesthesia
• DVM491 - Small Animal Emergency AM
• DVM492 - Small Animal ICU
• DVM493 - Small Animal Medicine A
• DVM494 - Small Animal Radiology
• DVM495 - Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery
• DVM496 - Behavior
• DVM497 - Research
• DVM498 - Fish Health
• DVM499 - Zoological Medicine

Requirements

Grade Point Averages:

• Overall science GPA
• GPA of the most recent two years of graded undergraduate/graduate work - (minimum of 68 quarter units or 45 semester units)
• A minimum grade point average of 2.50 (on a 4-point scale, A=4) is required for all completed science courses and cumulative college coursework at time of application.

GRE Quantitative Scores

All applicants are required to take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) which includes the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing sections. The GRE must be taken no later than August 31 of the year the application is submitted. Examinations taken after this deadline will not be accepted for consideration in the year the application is filed. The GRE must be taken within a five-year period, (Aug. 31, 2012 - Aug. 31, 2017) prior to applying to veterinary school. Applicants shouldn’t wait until the last-minute to take the exam. Extensions to the test deadline are not granted so applicants should take the test early to avoid last-minute complications and mishaps.

When the GRE has been taken more than once, the highest quantitative score will be used. Verbal and Analytical Writing scores may be used in the process. If so, the highest scores will be used. All GRE score reports must be delivered to VMCAS electronically from ETS and received by September 15. VMCAS will accept scores May-September 15.

• A minimum of 180 hours of veterinary experience are required to have your application considered for admission; however, admitted applicants have an average of 2,000 hours of quality “hands-on” experience in the veterinary field. You are expected to have a realistic and appropriate perspective of the responsibilities of the veterinary profession. Your experience may come from a job or volunteer service. You may acquire experience by working with veterinarians in private practice, farms, ranches, animal shelters, zoos, aquaria, etc.
• Applicants must submit at least three eLetters of Recommendation as part of their VMCAS application (refer to VMCAS instructions for more information).  VMCAS will accept more than 3 evaluations; however, we will consider only 3 letters. Once your application has been verified by VMCAS, we will email you instructions to set-up your applicant portal. You will need to indicate the 3 letters you wish us to consider when you complete your applicant portal. We will calculate a composite score of your 3 eLORS by using the ratings your evaluators provide on the eLOR evaluation. The composite score will be factored with GPA’s and GRE scores to rank the applicant pool for invitations to interview (MMI process). 
• Interviews will be conducted using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) technique. The MMI is a series of short, structured interviews used to assess personal traits/qualities. Each mini interview provides a candidate with a few minutes to read a question/scenario and mentally prepare before entering the interview room. Upon entering, the candidate has several minutes of dialogue with one interviewer/assessor/rater (or, in some cases, a third party as the interviewer/assessor observes). At the conclusion of the interview, the interviewer/assessor has a few minutes to evaluate while the candidate moves to the next scenario. This pattern is repeated through a circuit of 10 stations. The MMI was derived from the well-known OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) used by many medical programs to assess a student's application of clinical skills and knowledge. However, the MMI does not test knowledge of veterinary medicine but rather personal attributes such as communication skills and ability to work as part of a team, ethical and critical decision-making abilities, and behaviors important to being a veterinarian such as empathy, honesty and reliability.
• Non-native English speaking applicants must take the ib-TOEFL test unless they received a bachelor’s degree from an English speaking university in the U.S. The TOEFL test must be taken by August 31st and scores must be sent to school code 4834 by September 15th. The minimum acceptable score is 105.

Scholarships

• AVMF scholarships
• VLC Scholarships