Students interested in becoming veterinarians may enroll in the College of
Agriculture at the University of Kentucky and complete their requirements
for admission to veterinary school.
Although the Commonwealth of Kentucky does not have a school of veterinary medicine, it is a participating member of the Southern Regional Education Board plan, under which legal Kentucky residents may attend the Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine. Each year 34 students are chosen from Kentucky to enter the Auburn program.
There is also a plan whereby two legal Kentucky residents may be accepted by the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine each year.
Under both of the above programs the students selected are exempt from the out-of-state tuition that would normally apply to a Kentucky resident. Admission is on a competitive basis with the final selection being made by a committee from each of the veterinary schools.
Pre-veterinary studies is not a degree program, but a pre-professional curriculum. It is strongly recommended that all pre-veterinary students choose a degree goal early in their college career. Although it is possible to complete pre-vet requirements in three years, the majority of students accepted to Auburn have a B.S. or B.A. degree.
A minimum of 72 semester hours with an overall grade-point average of 2.50 (on a 4.0 basis) is required prior to consideration for admission. Due to the high level of competition for admission to any veterinary school, a student should maintain at least a 3.0 academic standing on all college work. The average overall GPA for students accepted to veterinary schools is approximately 3.45. The student must have completed all of the required courses or acceptable substitutes by June 15 of the year of possible acceptance. Courses in certain advanced sciences must be taken within six years of entry to Auburn. All required courses must have a grade of "C" or greater.
Auburn applicants can use the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) application, or an Auburn application obtained from Dr. Dwyer after August 1. The deadline for Auburn applications is October 1. Auburn requires the General Aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Tuskegee requires a separate application form and the GRE, taken within three years of application.
The following curriculum is designed to meet the requirements for both Auburn and Tuskegee. However, some changes in the pre-veterinary curriculum may go into effect during the school year. The student has the responsibility to work closely with his or her pre-veterinary advisor in making certain that all requirements are met for consideration for acceptance.
All CLEP and advanced placement credit for required courses must have prior approval by Dr. Dwyer. Auburn does not accept correspondence credit for required courses.
| Hours | |
| ENG 101 Writing I* | 3 | ENG 102 Writing II* | 3 | Literature (e.g. ENG 251)** | 3 or 6 | Fine Arts (e.g. MUS 100)** | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts electives (e.g. GEN 100/200)** | 6 | History (e.g. HIS 108/109)** | 3 or 6 | Social sciences electives** (e.g. USP Social Sciences plus anthropology [Cross-Cultural]) | 9 |
| MA 123 Elementary Calculus and Its Applications | 3 | OR | MA 113 Calculus I | 4 |
| The above courses are waived for students with a B.S. or B.A. degree. | |
| BIO 150/152 Principles of Biology I and II | 6 | BIO 151/153 Principles of Biology Laboratory I and II | 4 | CHE 105 General College Chemistry I | 3 | CHE 107 General College Chemistry II | 3 | CHE 115 General Chemistry Laboratory | 3 | CHE 230 Organic Chemistry I | 3 | CHE 231 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 | CHE 232 Organic Chemistry II | 3 | CHE 233 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 | PHY 211 General Physics | 5 | PHY 213 General Physics | 5 |
| ASC 378 Animal Nutrition | 3 | OR | BCH 401G Fundamentals of Biochemistry | 3 |
| Science Electives*** | 6 |
| Tuskegee requires ASC 378, BCH 401G (Biochemistry), and ASC 106 (Introduction to Animal Sciences). | |
| *ENG 105 or HON 101/102 can be used. | |
| **Students should contact a UK pre-veterinary advisor regarding alternative courses. | |
| ***Science electives can include BIO 308, BIO 315, BIO 340, BIO 350 or other upper level science courses which are approved by a pre-veterinary advisor. | |
Auburn strongly urges students to take organic chemistry and physics courses at the UK Lexington Campus.
All pre-veterinary students that enter veterinary school without obtaining an Animal Science degree and petition UK for one later must fulfill the departmental requirements for an Animal Science degree. In order to be eligible for the B.S. in Animal Science, students must have completed all University Studies courses and all the course requirements of one of the Animal Science options - animal production, dairy production, or equine production. Of the Animal Science courses required, only ASC 300 and 310 can be replaced by the anatomy taken during the course of study at the veterinary school.
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