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Pre-Veterinary Course Requirements

Course Requirements Overview

This is a guide to common pre-veterinary course requirements.

Professional schools have a variety of prerequisites required for admission to their programs. On this page, we include information about timelines for pre-medical requirements and the options available.

  • Many programs prefer in person coursework, and some programs may not allow online coursework. See individual schools for policies.
  • Individual schools may require or recommend additional courses.
  • All prerequisites must be completed with a letter grade of C or higher.
  • Schools vary on Credit-by-Exam (AP/IB/CLEP) policies and preferences for prerequisites. Please see "Can I Claim AP/IB Credit?"

School requirements can change. See individual school websites and admissions guides under “Research Veterinary Schools Before You Apply.” We always recommend checking for any updates.

Most Texas Veterinary Schools Require: 

  • Biology:  Lecture – 3+ hrs;  Lab – 1+ hrs 
  • Genetics: Lecture - 3 hrs
  • Microbiology: Lecture - 3 hrs; Lab - 2 hrs
  • Animal Nutrition: Lecture - 3 hrs
  • General Chemistry:  Lecture – 6 hrs;  Lab – 2 hrs
  • Organic Chemistry:  Lecture – 6 hrs;  Lab – 2 hrs
  • Biochemistry:  Lecture – 3 hrs
  • General Physics:  Lecture – 6 hrs;  Lab – 2 hrs
  • Math:  Statistics – 3 hrs
  • English:  Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 6 hrs
  • Speech/Professional Speaking: Lecture - 3 hrs

(Veterinary School Prerequisite Course Timelines and a Pre-Vet Science Courses Flowchart are available at the bottom of this page.)
 

UT Austin Courses Typically Taken to Fulfill Requirements

Subject Lecture Lab or Notes
Biology
  • BIO 311C + BIO 311D + BIO 325 OR
  • [BIO 315H + BIO 325H] (honors)

 

 

 

BIO 311D is not specifically required, but it is a UT Austin prerequisite for other required upper-division Biology courses, including BIO 325 which is required.
  • BIO 206L

 

 

Must be formal lab course work. Research lab credit, such as BIO 377, does not fulfill this requirement.
Microbiology
  • BIO / MBS 326R

 

 

UT Austin prerequisite for this course: BIO 325 or BIO 325H AND CH 302 or CH 302H.
  • BIO / MBS 226L
General Chemistry
  • CH 301 + CH 302 OR
  • CH 301H + CH 302H (honors) OR
  • CH 301C + CH 302C (for Chemistry majors)
  • CH 204 OR
  • CH 104M + CH 104N
Organic Chemistry
  • CH 320M + CH 320N OR
  • CH 328M + CH 328N (for Chemistry majors)

 

 

TAMU-CVM requires 6 hrs lecture and 2 hrs lab.

 
  • CH 220C OR
  • CH 128K + CH 128L (for Chemistry majors) OR
Biochemistry
  • BCH 369 OR
  • BCH 339F (for Biochemistry majors)
  
Statistics
  • SDS 320E  OR
  • SDS 321 (UT Austin prerequisite: M 408C, 408L, 408R, 408S, or 408Q)
 Check individual schools.
Physics
  • PHY 317K + PHY 317L  OR
  • PHY 302K + PHY 302L  OR
  • PHY 303K + PHY 303L  (for Engineering majors)   OR
  • PHY 301 + PHY 316   (for some Science and Engineering majors)

Starting FALL 2021, PHY 105M/N will replace lab numbers PHY 102M/N, PHY 103M/N, and 117M/N.

  • If PHY 317K + PHY 317L
    • PHY 105M + PHY 105N   OR
    • PHY 117M + PHY 117N
  • If PHY 302K + PHY 302L
    • PHY 105M + PHY 105N   OR
    • PHY 102M + PHY 102N
  • If PHY 303K + PHY 303L
    • PHY 105M + PHY 105N   OR
    • PHY 103M + PHY 103N   (for Engineering majors)
  • If PHY 301 + PHY 316
    • PHY 101L + 116L   (for some Science and Engineering majors) 
Animal Nutrition or Feeds & Feeding

Not offered at UT Austin.

Nutrition is required by TTU-SVM.

 See TAMU-CVM web site for approved courses at other schools.
Rhetoric (Composition)

Choose 2 courses from the following, Rhetoric and Literature. 

Some schools require 1 course from each area.

  • RHE 306 OR
  • RHE 309K OR
  • Any Writing Flag course in RHE Dept.
  
Literature
  • E 316L OR
  • E 316M OR
  • E 316N OR  
  • E 316P OR
  • Any Literature course in English Dept.
  
Speech
  • CMS 306M
  

 

Some schools may have additional recommended or required science and non-science prerequisites. Check individual websites.

 

 

Veterinary School Prerequisite Course Timelines 

This timeline includes pre-vet course requirements for admission to most Texas and U. S. veterinary schools.  Completing the pre-veterinary courses and extracurricular activities generally requires six semesters or longer, regardless of the student’s age or year in college. Your personal timeline may differ from these samples. Work with your academic advisor to incorporate these courses into your degree plan.

Important Note: 

Timelines do not include all course options and details.

To be sure that you are fulfilling all requirements, see individual school websites. Research veterinary schools before you apply!

 

Additional Course Information