Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Although Kentucky does not have a school of veterinary medicine, a limited number of students who are residents of Kentucky are selected to enter training in veterinary medicine at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala. It is sometimes possible to  enter veterinary school with three years of study at NKU. However, because many more students apply to veterinary schools than are accepted, it is strongly advised that all pre-vet students plan their curricula in such a way that the addition of a fourth year of coursework will satisfy NKU’s requirements for the bachelor’s degree, usually in biological sciences or chemistry & biochemistry. To design a four-year curriculum that fulfills the pre-veterinary requirements and the requirements for a bachelor’s degree, interested students should work closely with their advisors.

Coursework

Pre-veterinary students typically follow degree tracks for biological sciences (cellular/molecular/genetics track) or chemistry & biochemistry (biochemistry track), but any track will work as long as the veterinary entry requirements are met. It is recommended that non-science majors complete several electives at the 300/400/500 level in biology, chemistry or related disciplines to their degree programs. Program requirements for veterinary medicine generally include:

• One year of biology with labs plus two additional semesters of biology courses from a list of alternatives.
• One year of inorganic/general chemistry with labs.
• One year of organic chemistry with labs.
• One year of physics with labs.
• One year of English/composition courses (discipline-specific 291W courses are accepted).
• One semester of mathematics.
• One semester of biochemistry plus one semester of animal nutrition.
• Humanities, fine arts, social, and behavioral electives.

AP credit

AP credit is treated differently by specific veterinary programs regardless of how the credit is treated by NKU. Students who have AP credit and who wish to attend professional programs should work closely with their advisors.

First-year plan

Because students can pursue any degree program to prepare for veterinary school, only the first year of recommended study is shown below. To see four-year plans in particular areas (such as biological sciences or chemistry), please see those particular degree programs.