All applicants must complete 60 semester hours, including the required courses shown below, at a regionally accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to qualify for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Only two courses being used to fulfill course prerequisites may be pending in the spring/winter semester prior to matriculation.
Courses taken on the P/F or S/U grading system are not counted for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine. If a grade of D or F is made in a required course, the course must be repeated and a grade of C- or higher earned.
Note: For Spring and Summer 2020 semester or quarter grades, a Pass or Satisfactory will be accepted as an exception for course pre-requisites requiring a grade of C- or higher. Pass or satisfactory will not be accepted for any other semester or quarter at this time.
Grades completed during the Spring 2020 semester/quarter, taken as pass/satisfactory or for a grade A-F, will not be calculated into your cumulative GPA or GPA for last three full-time semesters, only toward your course load completed. Exceptions to this rule may be requested.
Students may use credit by examination, such as AP or CLEP, to substitute for pre-veterinary requirements only if their institution accepts those credits in lieu of a specific required course. Credit by examination must be given on a U.S. college transcript, unless approved by the Dean’s Office. College registrar must submit score breakdown to VMCAS to be included with your application.
Course Prerequisites for the DVM Program
| Course | Semester* Credit Hours |
| Composition or Courses in Communication Skills such as Speech or Technical Writing |
6 |
| College Algebra or More Advanced Mathematics |
3 |
| Biochemistry (Requires Organic Chemistry Prerequisite) |
3 |
| Physics (must complete sequence I and II) | 5-10 |
| Biological Sciences** (Example: genetics, microbiology, anatomy, physiology) |
10 |
| Social Science and/or Humanistic Studies (Example: economics, history, political science, literature, mythology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, foreign language) |
10 |
* Multiply quarter credits by 0.67 to convert to semester credits.
**Biology Department courses that may be selected from zoology and botany or as required in foundation courses for a biology major. Animal Science courses do not qualify toward the 10 hours necessary in biological sciences except for those that are cross referenced in both departments or an equivalent arrangement as determined by the College of Veterinary Medicine.
NOTE: Whenever there is doubt as to whether a course will fulfill the requirements to apply, the applicant should contact the Admissions Manager, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, as soon as possible.
Elective Courses
The College of Veterinary Medicine faculty strongly encourage applicants to include as many of the following courses as possible among their electives. We have found that anatomy and physiology are especially challenging for students lacking a background in those subjects.
- Animal Nutrition
- Animal Reproduction
- Anatomy
- Animal Husbandry
- Physiology
- Business or Accounting
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Psychology
- Statistics
- Cell Biology
- Any Biomed 1000-4000 level course at the University of Missouri.
Courses That Are Not Accepted to Meet Intended Requirements
Problems, topics, research, seminars or readings courses are not accepted for admission purposes.
College course credits acquired outside the United States are accepted for admission purposes only if they are credited with grades and semester credit hours on a transcript from a regionally accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Courses taken to meet requirements for a technical degree, such as vet tech or practical nursing degrees, are included in calculating cum GPA, but not when calculating last three semesters GPA or average courseload. In addition, courses taken while enrolled in these restricted technical degree program(s) are not accepted to meet minimum course requirements.
The MU College of Veterinary Medicine is Missouri’s only institution that confers the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Thank you for exploring how you can partner with us to make a positive difference in the lives of animals and people.