Pre-Veterinary

The Zoology Major is your best bet into Veterinary school. A Pre-vet curriculum through the zoology department typically takes four years, though qualified students may apply for admission to vet school before completing their degree. Follow the zoology requirements in the WSU catalog, and you'll pick up most of the required courses en route! (Be aware that there is no "pre-vet" major)
For questions, contact Dr. Ron Meyers, the Pre-Vet advisor!

"Biology": most vet schools require at least one year, with labs, including Genetics and  Microbiology.

Requirements for zoology major: 

• Principles of Zoology I and II (1110/1120); 

• Zoology Orientation (1990); 

• Genetics (3300;

• Cell Biology (3200); 

• Evolution (3720); 

• Ecology (3450);

• Comparative Physiology (4060) or Adv. Human Physiology (4210);

• Senior Seminar (4990).

 Among your (12 minimum above 3000) elective upper division hours, try to take: 

• Comparative Anatomy (4050); 

• Embryology (4100); 

• Histology (4120); 

• Parasitology (4500); 

• Comparative Physiology (4060; if not taken as your required class) 

*The Zoology major also requires two microbiology / botany courses as support. See course list for details. 

Chemistry: one year each of inorganic and organic chemistry; one course in biochemistry [these count towards the zoology major and complete the chemistry minor]:
Principles of Chemistry I & II (Chem 1210, 1220 @ 5 ea);

Organic Chemistry I & II (Chem 2310 & 2320 @ 5 ea);

Biochemistry I (Chem 3070 @ 4)

Physics: one year, with laboratory (counts towards the zoology major)
General Physics I & II w/ Labs (Phsx 2010 + 2010L & Phsx 2020 + 2020L @ 5 ea)

Mathematics: sufficient to meet chemistry and physics prerequisites.

College Algebra (Math QL 1050) or above [or equivalent] will generally suffice. This is also the requirement for the Zoology major;
* Intro to Statistics (Math QL 1040 @ 3) or Statistics in Psychology (Psych 3600 @ 3)
*Note that some vet schools (including Washington State University Vet School) require calculus.

General Education: Most schools require between 10 - 24 credits in
humanities. These should include:
*Principles of Public Speaking (Comm HU 1020 @ 3)
*Introduction to Interpersonal and Small Group Communication (Comm HU 1050 @ 3)
*Introduction to Writing (Eng 1010 @ 3)
See the WSU catalog for specific GenEd requirements

Individual veterinary schools may have specific course requirements such as calculus, embryology, animal nutrition, etc. Check with the individual schools to match requirements exactly.

Note that there is no Veterinary College within the state of Utah. Utah has contracts (WICHE) with four regional vet schools (Washington State Univ., Colorado State Univ., Oregon State Univ., and California-Davis) to provide certified Utah residents with out-of-state tuition for vet school. Note that requirements for WICHE are different from "in-state" residency. Typically it requires the applicant to spend at least 5 years in the state. Note also that if you move to Utah for your education and become a Utah state resident (and give up your current residency) you will most likely be ineligible for WICHE funding. Contact the WICHE office for information and an application.

Kimberly Henrie
WICHE Certifying Officer
Board of Regents Building, The Gateway
60 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1284
(801) 321-7153


Note that different schools have slightly different requirements. Get information on specific schools so that you can match pre-requisites appropriately. The AAVMC website has info on veterinary medicine. Here are their links to individual school requirements. Here are links to the individual vet schools.
Another source is the book "Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements" available from the AAVMC.

VMCAS is a central application service for vet schools; they have a common application and lots of information on requirements for these schools:

Veterinary Medical College Application Service
1101 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-682-0750; 

VMCAS STUDENT HOTLINE (Toll Free):1-877-862-2740
E-mail: vmcas@aavmc.org ;

What else can you do to increase your chances for acceptance to vet school?

1. Get good grades!
2. Work for a veterinarian,
3. Get involved in a zoology research project,
4. Get good letters of recommendation - ask me how!
5. Get involved in extracurricular groups such as the Pre-Vet and/or Zoology Clubs,
6. Study hard for the GRE (must be taken before October of the application year),
7. Don't forget WICHE certification. Certify early!
8. Apply to as many schools as possible - Utah may be able to pay for some non-WICHE schools!

If you are interested in becoming a Veterinary Technician, check this link. There is no such program at Weber and a vet tech degree/certificate is not presently required by the state.
Website updated: 9 Nov 2006