Students may wish to choose Animal Science, Zoology, Physiology, or Biology, but certainly not be limited to these. Becasue admission to the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine is highly competitive, students who have not been admitted directly into the Professional Vet program after 2 years are advised to choose a major in a field that is interesting to them and which is consistent with their alternate career and educational goals. Graduates of a four-year Professional Veterinary Medicine program may pursue a variety of careers in salaried positions or become licensed as private practitioners in any state. Veterinarians are employed by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture for work in disease control, meat and poultry inspection, and development of biological products. Rewarding positions also are found with the Public Health Service, Military, and State and local agencies.
Biomedical research is another career avenue.
Three-quarters of all veterinarians are engaged in private practice. The Professional Vet program is a limited enrollment program. The mean GPA of admitted students is 3.3 - 3.5. Because of the competitiveness of this program, the majority of successful applicants have completed at least 3 years of a bachelor's degree program. It is highly desirable to have completed a bachelors degree in a major consistent with your interests and career goals.