Pre-Veterinary Advising

While USD does not have a veterinary medicine school or specific veterinary major, students are encouraged to choose a major that offers the following courses:

Typical* required courses

• General Biology – Bio 240, Bio 240L, Bio 242, Bio 242L
• General Chemistry – Chem 151, Chem 151L, Chem 152, Chem 152L
• Organic Chemistry – Chem 301, Chem 301L, Chem 302, Chem 302L
• General Physics – Phys 136, Phys 136L, Phys 137, Phys 137L or Phys 270, Phys 270L, Phys 271, Phys 271L
• English – FYW and two more classes
• Biochemistry – Chem 331
• Genetics – Bio 300
• Statistics – Math 120, Psyc 260 or Biostatistics
• 9 or more units in humanities/social sciences

*These courses will satisfy the requirements for most veterinary schools. Make sure that you check for additional requirements at your selected schools. Most schools want you to have completed the required courses prior to the time of application. Take all required classes for a grade; pass/fail is not acceptable. Grades below a "C" are not considered passing for most medical schools.

Some schools recommend

Microbiology, Physiology and other science courses as well as a nutrition course.

Other application information

• GRE: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required by most veterinary schools, and some also require the Biology GRE. The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is also accepted by some schools in place of the GRE.
• Experience: Vet medicine is one area where experience in the field is mandatory. All schools state that their candidates are expected to have worked with veterinarians; some specify a minimum number of hours that are required. In addition, research experience, especially combined with adequate veterinary exposure, can make an applicant more attractive.

Veterinarians diagnose and treat diseases and dysfunctions of animals. Specifically, they care for the health of pets, livestock and animals in zoos, racetracks and laboratories. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening our knowledge of animals and medical science and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge. Most veterinarians diagnose animal health problems, vaccinate against diseases, medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses, treat and dress wounds, set fractures, perform surgery and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior and breeding.

According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, 77 percent of veterinarians who work in private medical practices treat pets. These practitioners usually care for dogs and cats but also treat birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets and other animals that can be kept as pets. About 16 percent of veterinarians work in private mixed and food animal practices, where they see pigs, goats, cattle, sheep and some wild animals in addition to farm animals. A small proportion of private-practice veterinarians, about 6 percent, work exclusively with horses.

Veterinarians who work with food animals or horses usually drive to farms or ranches to provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. These veterinarians test for and vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers regarding animal production, feeding and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set fractures and perform surgery, including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Other veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium or laboratory animals. Veterinarians of all types euthanize animals when necessary.

Veterinarians who treat animals use medical equipment such as stethoscopes, surgical instruments and diagnostic equipment, including radiographic and ultrasound equipment. Veterinarians working in research use a full range of sophisticated laboratory equipment.

Some veterinarians contribute to human as well as animal health. A number of veterinarians work with physicians and scientists as they research ways to prevent and treat various human health problems. For example, veterinarians contributed greatly to conquering malaria and yellow fever, solved the mystery of botulism, produced an anticoagulant used to treat some people with heart disease and defined and developed surgical techniques for humans, such as hip and knee joint replacements and limb and organ transplants.

Today, some determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals. Some veterinarians are involved in food safety and inspection. Veterinarians who are livestock inspectors, for example, check animals for transmissible diseases such as E. coli, advise owners on the treatment of their animals and may quarantine animals. Veterinarians who are meat, poultry or egg product inspectors examine slaughtering and processing plants, check live animals and carcasses for disease and enforce government regulations regarding food purity and sanitation.

More veterinarians are finding opportunities in food security as they ensure that the nation has abundant and safe food supplies. Veterinarians involved in food security often work along the country's borders as animal and plant health inspectors, where they examine imports and exports of animal products to prevent disease here and in foreign countries. Many of these workers are employed by the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine.