Title: How Many Years of School Does It Take to Be a Vet? | Education - Seattle PI
Headings: How Many Years of School Does It Take to Be a Vet?
How Many Years of School Does It Take to Be a Vet?
Bachelor’s Degree
Preveterinary Programs
Veterinary Programs
Clinical Experience

Content: Preveterinary Programs
Veterinary schools require students to take many undergraduate courses to ensure that all applicants have a strong foundation in natural sciences and mathematics. Many universities offer students the opportunity to complete preveterinary programs while they are pursuing their bachelor's degrees. Students who graduate from college and decide to become veterinarians later in life often complete postbaccalaureate preveterinary programs. These programs allow students to take the same requirements without any additional coursework. Requirements vary, but most veterinary schools require students to take a year of general biology, chemistry and physics, each with the associated laboratory sections. Some programs also require a semester of microbiology and/or biochemistry and a semester of calculus and/or statistics. Veterinary Programs
All veterinarians have to complete a four-year veterinary degree program leading to a doctor of veterinary medicine degree, also known as a DVM. This degree program gives students a broad foundation in theoretical and clinical experience in veterinary science. Requirements vary, but the first two years of most programs consist of foundational courses in anatomy, pharmacology, physiology, pathology and clinical pathology. In the second part of the programs, students tend to specialize in a particular area of interest such as small animal, equine, livestock or zoological veterinary medicine.