Veterinary Schools Prerequisites

• COLLEGE PHYSICS (two semesters or two quarters, no lab)
• PHY 1A, 1B or PHY 7A, 7B, 7C* (three quarters may be necessary for some sequences to meet content requirements)

Courses Required

Applicants must complete a series of undergraduate prerequisite courses. They include courses in Science, Math, General Education (English, Humanities and Social Sciences) and Advanced Electives. We strongly recommend having no more than three Science or Math prerequisite courses missing prior to the VMCAS application deadline in September.

Introductory pre-professional courses may be taken at any regionally accredited two-year or four-year college or university. All upper-division prerequisite courses: Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology with lab must be completed at a four-year institution offering a Biology degree. All prerequisite courses must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or above by the end of the spring semester prior to the start of veterinary school in August. If a “C-” grade or below is earned, the course must be retaken.

For those students attending a quarter unit institution, use the following formula to determine prerequisite course equivalency. Quarter Units divided by 1.5 equals the number of semester hours. For example, 5 quarter units of Genetics equals 3.3 semester hours.

You may compare your institution’s course descriptions by using our self-audit Undergraduate Course Requirements handout and visiting the UF Undergraduate Catalog for verification.

Undergraduate students should periodically consult with their academic or pre-health advisors for any questions related to undergraduate courses offered at their institution.

Academic Preparation & Prerequisite Courses

No specific undergraduate program or major is required or preferred for admission into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. Applicants may select majors and schools on the basis of interest and aptitude as long as prerequisites are fulfilled. Prerequisites may also be completed after earning a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university is required prior to matriculation.

Prerequisite Guidelines

Admission to the School of Veterinary Medicine requires completion of specific prerequisite courses taken at a regionally accredited college or university. Courses and labs may be taken online. All courses need to have a C or higher to be accepted (a C- is not accepted). Additional guidelines:

• All but the three upper division courses (biochemistry, genetics, and physiology) can be taken at a community college.
• Students may apply after 75% of the prerequisites have been completed (approx. three courses may be pending at the time application is submitted). Remaining prerequisites must be completed in the spring semester/quarter prior to matriculation in the fall.
• No credits are accepted for military experience, CLEP exams, DSST exams, or vocational school coursework.
• AP credit is accepted based on the credit awarded by the student’s institution.
• Prerequisite courses do not expire.

Required Prerequisite Courses

Lower Division Courses

• COLLEGE PHYSICS (two semesters or two quarters; no lab required)
• GENERAL BIOLOGY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)
• GENERAL CHEMISTRY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)
• ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (two semesters or two quarters with one lab total)
• STATISTICS (one semester or quarter; can be lower or upper division)

Upper Division Courses

• BIOCHEMISTRY w/ METABOLISM (one semester or quarter)
• GENETICS (one semester or quarter)
• SYSTEMIC PHYSIOLOGY (one semester or quarter; animal or human). If taking a combined anatomy & physiology course, it will only be accepted if it is 1) upper division and 2) part of a two-course sequence.

NOTE: All upper division courses must be completed at the upper division level at a four-year college. They may not be completed at a community college. Lower division courses are not accepted.

Where to Take Prerequisites

Institution not listed in the database?

Please submit a Prerequisite Substitution Request Form for course approval. Submit one for each of the three upper-division courses.

Lower division required courses do not require approval unless the course title or sequence is not clearly reflective of the course content.

Each institution in the database has an articulation agreement listing the equivalent courses offered at that college or university. No articulation agreements exist for statistics as we will accept ANY course in statistics (business, medical, psychology, etc.).

All prerequisite courses are based on the UC Davis undergraduate courses and course series, as listed below. Equivalent courses at other institutions may be found in our prerequisites database, listed alphabetically by institution name. Most California public colleges are listed within the database as are a few out-of-state institutions. Students should complete the series/sequence for prerequisite courses (all semester or all quarter). Do not combine semesters and quarters.

Students should review the ‘Where to Take Prerequisites’ section. If an articulation agreement does not exist for the institution where courses have been or will be taken, the course descriptions below should be used as a guide for finding comparable courses.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have taken the appropriate prerequisite courses to be admitted to the DVM program. Use the course descriptions as stated below as a guide for what each prerequisite course should entail.

UC Davis Undergraduate Courses

• COLLEGE PHYSICS (two semesters or two quarters, no lab)
• PHY 1A, 1B or PHY 7A, 7B, 7C* (three quarters may be necessary for some sequences to meet content requirements)

PHY 1A Principles of Physics
Description: Mechanics. Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics with emphasis on applications in applied agricultural and biological sciences and in physical education.
Details: Lecture—3 hour(s). PHY 1B Principles of Physics
Description: Continuation of PHY 001A. Heat, optics, electricity, modern physics.
Details: Lecture—3 hour(s). PHY 7A General Physics
Description: Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics for students majoring in a biological science.
Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s). PHY 7B General Physics
Description: Continuation of PHY 007A. Physics 7B is most like the first quar­ter or semester of traditionally taught courses which treat classical mechanics.
Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s). PHY 7C General Physics*
Description: Continuation of PHY 007B. Physics 7C is most like the last quarter or semester which, in traditionally taught courses, treats optics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics.
Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s).

ABI 102 Animal Biochemistry & Metabolism
Description: Water and biological buffers; thermodynamics of metabolism; structure and function of biomolecules; enzyme kinetics and function; membrane biology; digestion and absorption; carbohydrate metabolism.
Details: Lecture—4 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002A, CHE 002B, CHE 008A, CHE 008B) or (CHE 118A, CHE 118B). Not open for credit to students who have completed BIS 102