Pre-Veterinary Minor

Students wanting an officially designated Pre-Veterinary concentration should complete the “Major Advisor Form” available in the Academic Advisement office. Most veterinary schools require a strong undergraduate background in the sciences as well as extensive clinical experience. Ross University Veterinary School, for example, requires its applicants to have participated in 240 hours of practical experience working with both large domesticated animals (cows, horses, sheep, goats, or pigs) as well as small animals (dogs, cats, etc.). Depending on the Veterinary School to which the student is applying, students must also take either the GRE General Test (required by 18 of the 27 US veterinary schools) or the VCAT examination (required by 7 of the 27 US schools). The undergraduate course requirements for admission to the Veterinary School at Cornell University (and the only Veterinary School in New York State leading to the DVM degree), were used as a model to structure the Pre-Veterinary program at Nazareth College. To be admitted to Cornell, all prerequisite courses must be completed with at least a grade of C-. Pass/Satisfactory grades are not acceptable. It is possible to have up to twelve credits in progress at the time of application, provided that at least one semester of the current two-semester series is in progress. Many of the 27 veterinary colleges in the United States have similar requirements. The average undergraduate GPA of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2003 was 3.70; the GRE scores of this class ranged between 1350 and 1600. Nazareth College Pre-Veterinary students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and perform a minimum of 160 hours of community/pre-medical clinical service. Nazareth College Pre-Veterinary Students must take the following courses: