Academic Requirements for Admission
Note: Revised Fall 2006
No specific undergraduate program is preferred at Oregon State University, but students must complete the prerequisite courses listed below. Many students choose an animal science or biological science major because these bachelor's degree programs generally include most of the pre-veterinary requirements. Also, some of these programs allow students accepted into the DVM program after their junior year to apply credits earned in their first year of veterinary study toward completing a bachelor's degree. A bachelor’s degree is not required for admission to the OSU CVM. For more information about undergraduate pre-veterinary medicine programs at Oregon State University, contact one of the pre-veterinary medicine advisors.
Prerequisite Courses
Successful completion (see Grading, below) of the following undergraduate courses is necessary for admission to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
Science Prerequisites:
Taking more advanced sequences to satisfy these requirements will be viewed favorably.
- General Chemistry - A course sequence of inorganic chemistry with laboratories (at least 15 quarter or 8 semester credits). OSU CH 121, 122, 123 or CH 221, 222, 223.
- Organic Chemistry - A course sequence of organic chemistry sufficient to meet requirements for upper division biochemistry. OSU CH 331 and 332.
- Biochemistry - A course sequence in upper division biochemistry. At OSU, BB 450 and 451 satisfy this requirement; BB 350 does not.
- Physics - A course sequence of physics for science majors (at least 12 quarter or 8 semester credits). OSU PH 201, 202 and 203.
- Mathematics - A course in calculus (at least 3 quarter or 2 semester credits). OSU MTH 251.
- Statistics - A course(s) in statistics (at least 4 quarter or 3 semester credits). OSU ST 201 and 202 or ST 351.
- Biology - A course sequence of biology (at least 12 quarter or 8 semester credits). OSU BI 211, 212 and 213.
- Animal Nutrition - A course in general animal nutrition that includes monogastric and ruminant nutrition (at least 3 quarter or 2 semester credits). OSU ANS 311. ANS 311 is also offered as an on-line course and may be taken by students not attending OSU.
- Genetics - A course in general genetics that includes both Mendelian and molecular genetics (at least 4 quarter or 3 semester credits). OSU ANS 378 or BI 311.
- Physiology - A course in animal or human physiology (at least 3 quarter or 2 semester credits). OSU ANS 314, Z 331, Z 430 or Z 431.
- Biological Sciences - A minimum of at least 6 additional quarter or 4 additional semester credits of upper division biological science courses with at least one laboratory. Recommended courses include additional biochemistry, additional physiology and/or anatomy, animal reproduction, cell biology, cell physiology, epidemiology, histology, immunology, microbiology, parasitology, and virology.
General Education Prerequisites:
These requirements will be considered met if the applicant has earned a bachelor's degree by July 1 of the year in which they are accepted into the program.
- English - At least 6 quarter or 4 semester credits of English writing (e.g. English composition, technical writing).
- Public Speaking - At least 3 quarter or 2 semester credits of public speaking.
- Humanities/Social Sciences - At least 12 quarter or 8 semester credits of humanities or social sciences courses.
Grading
- All prerequisite courses taken after August 2004 must be graded on an A-F scale and not taken as pass/fail. Any grade below C- in a prerequisite course is considered unsatisfactory and the course cannot be accepted to fulfill a requirement. Applicants can fulfill the requirement by repeating the same course or by substituting a higher-level course in the same field as that of the required course. A student who attends an institution that traditionally does not provide grades will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- In addition to the prerequisite courses, applicants are encouraged to take elective courses to better prepare them for the veterinary curriculum and profession. Suggested elective courses include: animal science courses, business related courses, computer science, embryology, and microbiology.
- Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam credits for lower division prerequisite courses are accepted.
Please note:
- Students must complete prerequisite courses by July 1 of the year in which they are accepted into the program.
- Complete and final academic transcripts for all accepted applicants must be submitted to OSU by August 1 of the year in which they are accepted into the program.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Applicants are also required to take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Additional Requirements for Admission
For additional information regarding admission, please see Application Information and Student Selection Criteria.
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