{"id":2997,"date":"2023-04-20T20:23:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T20:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/preparing-for-vet-school\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T15:27:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T15:27:06","slug":"preparing-for-vet-school","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Veterinary School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"paragraph-widget paragraph-widget--text-html\">\n\t<div class=\"text-content\">\n\t\t<p>Students contemplating careers in veterinary medicine should prepare in both high school and college with a solid foundation in the biological and physical sciences with a general knowledge in the arts, social sciences, humanities and communications. Students should also be motivated by a sincere concern for animal and human populations, a desire to serve the public, and a genuine interest in the medical field.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cPre-veterinary medicine\u201d is not a major at Iowa State University but a pre-professional track that can be chosen within a major.<\/strong> Pre-veterinary medical students may pursue any undergraduate major of their choosing. The College of Veterinary Medicine seeks students with diverse backgrounds and encourages them to enroll in a major which meets their interests and goals. Although science majors such as animal science, biology, zoology, animal ecology, biochemistry, and microbiology are most common, admitted veterinary medicine students have also had degrees in business, fine arts, music, English, engineering, and psychology. The required pre-professional courses can be obtained through the curricula of a variety of fields of study.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #b00c0c;\">A Bachelor&#8217;s degree is not required for admission to Iowa State&#8217;s College of Veterinary Medicine.<\/span> Applicants must only complete the specified prerequisite courses at a regionally accredited college or university to fulfill the academic requirements.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"paragraph-widget paragraph-widget--link-block\">\n\t<div class=\"link-block\">\n\t\t<h2>Get Prepared<\/h2>\n\t\t<div class=\"link-set\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/college-student-information\/\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCollege Student Information<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/high-school-student-information\/\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHigh School Student Information<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/for-college-academic-advisors\/\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor College Academic Advisors<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/for-high-school-advisors\/\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor High School Advisors<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/future-dvm-students\/prospective-student-information\/preparing-for-vet-school\/programs-and-camps\/\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrograms and Camps<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vetmed.iastate.edu\/vdpam\/academics\/production-animal-medicine-focus\/production-animal-veterinary-early-acceptance-program-pa-veap\" class=\"link-set__link iastate22-link-secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProduction Animal &#8211; Veterinary Early Acceptance Program (PA-VEAP)<span class=\"arrow\"><\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":3189,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2997","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - 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