Veterinary Degrees Online

The Veterinary Science Department provides advising services for students in the pre-veterinary medicine curriculum and offers courses in the biomedical sciences for undergraduate and graduate majors in related sciences. The department also offers several graduate research assistantship positions in microbiology, virology, and molecular biology for students majoring in other departments. Graduate training is supported by active research programs in diseases of food-producing animals.

South Dakota does not have a professional College of Veterinary Medicine. A pre-veterinary medicine curriculum is offered which allows students to obtain prerequisites for application to Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in other states. Students may meet requirements in two or three years of pre-veterinary study. Many students complete a major for the Bachelor of Science Degree before entering the professional curriculum of Veterinary Medicine. Many degree options are available to students in the pre-veterinary medicine curriculum, but popular choices include Animal Science, Biology, Microbiology, Dairy Science, or others. Students typically select a BS option late in their freshman year or during their sophomore year.

Entrance into the professional curriculum in a College of Veterinary Medicine rests with the individual applicant, and is based upon many factors including their academic record and experience. The applicant should be aware of the difficulties involved in being accepted to a College of Veterinary Medicine. Keen competition should be anticipated.

Integrated within the Department of Veterinary Science is the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL). The ADRDL is one of 36 full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the U.S. that is accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The ADRDL is a reference lab that investigates naturally occurring animal health problems. The lab receives over 20,000 submissions and conducts over 400,000 test procedures annually. The lab is the official test center for the SD Animal Industry Board and promotes animal agriculture commerce by performing required export testing. The lab is also integral to national disease eradication programs and serves public health by tracking zoonotic diseases.

Description:
Veterinarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, zoo animals, and sporting and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians work in livestock production and in research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical and applied knowledge. Others use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research into human and animal health problems.

JCU’s School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences has offered the Bachelor of Veterinary Science since 2006. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to diagnose, treat and prevent disease in a wide range of animals including companion animals, farm animals, aquatic species and native fauna. In addition, students will acquire a thorough knowledge of animal production systems, particularly tropical animal husbandry and aquaculture.

The final year of the course is devoted to clinical and professional training and is delivered in a series of clinical rotations through veterinary hospitals, practices, laboratories and government agencies in Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers and Malanda. Graduates will be eligible for registration as a veterinarian.

Duration:
5 years full-time

Mode:
On campus (Internal), full time

Workload:
Normal workload expectations are a minimum of 10 hours per week for every subject, including class contact hours, preparation and time spent on assessment tasks.

Type:
Undergraduate

Credit points:
120 credit points o

Intake:
February

Campus:
Townsville

Veterinarians play a major role in the health care of pets, livestock, zoo, sporting, and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical knowledge, and in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.

Prospective veterinarians must graduate with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree from a four-year program at an accredited college of veterinary medicine and must obtain a license to practice. There are 28 colleges in 26 states that meet accreditation standards set by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education. The prerequisites for admission vary. Many of these colleges do not require a bachelor’s degree for entrance, but all require a significant number of credit hours—from 45 to 90 s.h.—at the undergraduate level. However, most of the students admitted have completed an undergraduate program. Applicants without a bachelor’s degree find it difficult to gain admittance.

In addition to satisfying pre-veterinary course requirements, applicants must submit test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT), or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), depending on the preference of the college to which they are applying. Currently, 22 schools require the GRE, 4 require the VCAT, and 2 accept the MCAT.

The Associate of Science Degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine is intended to fulfill preadmission requirements on the freshman and sophomore levels for a school of veterinary medicine; students will need to transfer to a four-year school to continue working toward a Bachelor’s degree. Most students who are admitted to a veterinary medicine program have completed the bachelor’s degree. The curriculum in the WSCC catalog is not designed for transfer to any specific school. Students may to talk with a faculty advisor about a particular college or university’s course requirements and transfer.

Career and Major Information:

Veterinarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, and zoo, sporting, and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical knowledge and, in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.

Most veterinarians perform clinical work in private practices. More than one-half of these veterinarians predominately, or exclusively, treat small animals. Small-animal practitioners usually care for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, but also treat birds, reptiles, rabbits, and other animals that can be kept as pets. About one-fourth of all veterinarians work in mixed animal practices where they see pigs, goats, sheep, and some nondomestic animals, in addition to companion animals. Veterinarians in clinical practice diagnose animal health problems; vaccinate against diseases, such as distemper and rabies; medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses; treat and dress wounds; set fractures; perform surgery; and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.

A small number of private practice veterinarians work exclusively with large animals, focusing mostly on horses or cows; some also care for various kinds of food animals. These veterinarians usually drive to farms or ranches to provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. Much of this work involves preventive care to maintain the health of the food animals. These veterinarians test for and vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers on animal production, feeding, and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set fractures, and perform surgery—including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Veterinarians also euthanize animals when necessary. Other veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium, or laboratory animals (Occupational Outlook Handbook 2004-2005).