Course Preparation for Admission to Veterinary School

Please note that one term at Carleton is recognized by veterinary schools as equivalent to a one semester course.

Veterinary schools require course work aimed at fulfilling the requirements for admission. Most institutions also require labs to be taken with their respective science courses.

  1. The courses that are highly recommended and most often required for preparation for Veterinary School are:
    • Biology: 2 terms: BIOL 125, BIOL 126
    • Chemistry: 4 terms: CHEM 123 or 128, CHEM 224, CHEM 233, and CHEM 234
    • Biochemistry: 1 term BIOC 301
    • Genetics: 1 term: BIOL 240
    • Microbiology: 1 term: BIOL 234
    • Cellular Biology: 1 term: BIOL 280; required by some
    • Physiology: 1 term: BIOL 272 or BIOL 232; required by some
    • Upper-Level Biology: 3 terms: any BIOL 2xx or 3xx course
    • Physics: 2 terms: PHYS 145 (or 143 or 144 or the two-part sequence consisting of 131 (first five weeks) plus either 151, 152 or 153 [second five weeks]) and PHYS 165

2. The requirements for admission to the majority of U.S. veterinary schools can be met with the                    courses listed above in addition to the following:

    • English Composition: 2 terms — this requirement can usually be fulfilled by taking writing-rich courses. We recommend trying to take at least one English course but most schools accept the writing-rich courses as fulfilling the requirement.
    • Humanities/Social Science Electives: 5 terms
    • Math: 2 terms: MATH 111 and MATH 120 or above
    • Statistics: 1 term: STAT 120 or PSYC 200 (required for Psychology majors)

3. Some additional courses are required by a select few veterinary schools but are not offered at                    Carleton:

    • Animal Nutrition: 1 term
    • Medical Terminology: 1 term
    • Communication: 1 term
    • Anatomy: 1 term

Take all prerequisite courses for a grade; the grade must be a C or better. You do not have to take all prerequisite courses at Carleton. Non-Carleton courses, however, must be taken at an accredited 4-year institution for a grade and you will later need to provide a transcript when you apply. These courses do not need to be transferred to Carleton. Any work taken elsewhere should be done either on a semester system or its equivalent. A quarter system can lead to difficulty.

AP policy: Most veterinary schools will accept AP credits so long as they appear on your official Carleton transcript and are equivalent to the appropriate college-level coursework.

Note: The courses listed above satisfy most of the admissions requirements at U.S. and AVMA-accredited veterinary schools. However, each school may not require all of these and schools may require additional courses. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the applicant to know the exact requirements and deadlines for each school to which they apply. For updated information on entry requirements, please consult the AAVMC directory of Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements.

When should you take the required courses?

Download a template to create your own flexible four-year plan.