Veterinary Medicine General Information

Careers
A career in veterinary medicine may appeal to you if you are interested in medical research, pets, wildlife activities, and domestic livestock of all species. A doctor of veterinary medicine has prestige in the community, independence, a position in a highly regarded profession, interesting work, and the satisfaction of contributing to the welfare of society.

The profession offers many opportunities for both self-employment and salaried work, including:

• Private practice working with food or companion animals. 

• Government service with state, federal, or foreign assignments in disease control, meat inspection, public health, and animal research. 

• Armed forces careers as veterinary medical officers in charge of disease control, food inspection and sanitation, and basic research. 

• Teaching and research in veterinary or human medical schools and other departments of colleges and universities. 

• Industry positions in research, development, production, and sales of medicinal and food agents for both human and animal use. 

• Private employment as ranch or feedlot veterinarians and ranch managers. 

• Specialization in laboratory animal medicine, research, and care. 

• Extension veterinary medicine responsible for communicating information to practicing veterinarians, the livestock and poultry industries, and the companion animal field. 

• Specialty practices pertaining to zoo and exotic animals and with individual species such as cats, horses, pet birds, poultry, swine, or fur-bearing animals.

The program
The College of Veterinary Medicine was established in 1905. Since then more than 5,000 men and women have been granted the doctor of veterinary medicine degree. Departments within the College of Veterinary Medicine are anatomy and physiology, clinical sciences, and diagnostic medicine/pathobiology.

The college's nationally recognized instructional and research programs provide the highest standards of professional education. A rich, varied, and extensive agricultural program in the area surrounding the college, a city with many pets and a zoo, and referrals from surrounding states provide a wealth of clinical material for professional education in veterinary medicine.

Degrees
A bachelor of science degree may be granted from the College of Agriculture or the College of Arts and Sciences upon completion of residency and academic requirements. Contact the appropriate college for details.

The doctor of veterinary medicine degree is awarded following the successful completion of a minimum of 64 hours in pre-professional requirements and four years in the professional curriculum.

Scholar's program
The Veterinary Scholar's Early Admission Program provides an admission opportunity for high school seniors when they enter K-State. Students can complete a bachelor's degree at K-State consisting of advanced scholarly studies in conjunction with their guaranteed entry into the four-year professional veterinary degree program.

High school seniors with at least a 29 ACT score or equivalent SAT score should contact the College of Veterinary Medicine's Office of Student Admissions for more information and an application.

Admission requirements
Students are selected from qualified applicants after completion of the required 64 semester hours of pre-professional requirements. To be eligible to make application, applicants must attain at least a 2.8 in the pre-professional requirements and in the last 45 hours of undergraduate college work. Any grade less than a C in a required course, or a grade of F in any course, cannot be accepted. The Graduate Record Examination General Test must be taken by all applicants before making application to the college.

Personal interviews are required of all matriculants and all interviews are on campus. No phone or off-campus interviews will be granted. Applicants are evaluated on motivation, maturity, communication skills, experience with and knowledge of animals and veterinary medicine, general knowledge, career awareness, goals, and leadership potential. To demonstrate to the admissions committee an understanding of the profession, all students interested in applying to the College of Veterinary Medicine are encouraged to have broad animal experience and to have related veterinary work experience.

Only those students who can complete the required 64 semester hours of pre-professional courses by the end of the spring term of the year in which they are seeking admission will be considered for admission to the professional curriculum.

KSU applications are available June 5 to October 1. Applicants must apply through VMCAS http://www.aavmc.org and also must complete the KSU supplemental application. Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended are required along with a non-refundable $50 processing fee made to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The GRE must be taken before making application to the professional program. When taking the GRE please use Institutional code 6334 and departmental code 0617.

Residency requirements
To be considered as an applicant in the Kansas pool of candidates, the applicant must be a Kansas resident for fee purposes at the time of application to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Contact the Director of Admissions, Kansas State University, 119 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, 785-532-6250, for further clarification of residency information.

A North Dakota contract provides a specific number of positions for certified North Dakota residents.

At-large positions are available including qualified international students.

Mission statement
The admissions committee is committed to identifying applicants who possess the following characteristics:

1. A strong desire to be a veterinarian. 
2. A compassion for people and animals and a respect for life. 
3. Personal integrity and high ethical standards. 
4. Strong written and oral communication skills. 
5. Problem solving and critical thinking skills. 
6. A commitment to the betterment of humanity and the improvement of one's community, society, and profession. 
7. An understanding of the world and its cultures. 
8. Documented strong academic ability in the sciences. 
9. A commitment to lifelong learning.

Pre-professional requirements
High school subjects that are highly recommended are algebra, geometry, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and biology. Good oral and written communications and computer skills are also desirable.

There is no limit to the number of academically qualified students who can be admitted to the pre-professional program. However, admittance to the pre-professional program does not guarantee admittance to the professional curriculum in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The pre-professional program is offered by both the College of Agriculture and the College of Arts and Sciences at K-State.
Whether the pre-professional education is completed at K-State or at another accredited college or university, the following courses must be included as minimum preparation:

All required science courses must have been taken within six years of the date of enrollment in the professional program.

All pre-professional requirements must be graded.

Course substitutions must be petitioned to the associate dean for academic affairs and admissions.

For more information about veterinary medicine, contact:
Office of the Dean
College of Veterinary Medicine
Kansas State University
101 Trotter Hall
1700 Denison Avenue
Manhattan, KS 6650-5601
785-532-5660
Fax: 785-532-5884
E-mail: admit@vet.k-state.edu | www.vet.k-state.edu

For more information about Kansas State University, contact:
Director of Admissions
Kansas State University
119 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-0102
785-532-6250
E-mail: kstate@ksu.edu | consider.k-state.edu