To qualify for admission to the professional program of the College of Veterinary Medicine, a candidate must have completed at least the minimum pre-veterinary course requirements listed below. These may be completed at any accredited college or university that offers courses equivalent to those at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Pre-veterinary course requirements must be completed by the end of spring term of the year in which the applicant intends to enroll. Biochemistry requirements must have been satisfactorily completed within five years of the time the applicant wishes to enter the program.
| Course Requirements |
Semester Hours |
| English |
6 |
| 1 Humanities and Social Sciences |
18 |
| Physics |
8 |
| General Chemistry |
8 |
| Organic Chemistry |
8 |
| 2 Biochemistry |
4 |
| General Biology |
8 |
| Genetics |
3 |
| 3 Cellular Biology |
3 |
| |
Total 66 |
1 May include, for example, courses in English literature, speech, music, art, philosophy, religion, language, history, economics, anthropology, political science, psychology, sociology, and geography.
2 Exclusive of laboratory.
3 It is expected that this requirement will be fulfilled by a course in cellular or molecular biology.
Admission of new students is for the fall semester, with first priority given to residents of Tennessee.
The College of Veterinary Medicine utilizes the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) for all applicants. Instructions for making application for admission may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean, The University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, 2407 River Drive, Room A102, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4550, or on-line at VMCAS (<www.aavmc.org>).
The deadline for receipt of the completed application materials is October 1. Non-Tennessee applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale for applications to be considered.
Applications are accepted only from U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
The curriculum of the College of Veterinary Medicine is a nine-semester, four-year program. Each class begins in August and graduates four years later in May. The first three years generally follow the traditional fall and spring semesters with the summer break following years one and two. The final year of the professional curriculum begins immediately following semester six and is a continuous clinical rotation experience extending over 54 weeks.
Development of a strong basic science foundation is emphasized in the first year. Courses consist mostly of pre-clinical subjects of anatomy (gross and microscopic), physiology, immunology, bacteriology, virology and parasitology. Also included in the first year are clinical subjects of physical diagnosis and epidemiology. Considerable integration of subject matter is incorporated during this year.
The second and third years include the study of diseases, their causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention, and courses are team-taught on an organ system basis.
The final year (three semesters) is devoted to intensive education in solving animal disease problems involving extensive clinical experience in the Veterinary Medical Center. Each student will participate exclusively in clinical rotations in the Veterinary Medical Center and in required externships (preferably off-campus).
Innovative features of this curriculum include six weeks of student centered, small group, applied learning exercises in semesters one through five; three weeks of dedicated clinical experiences in the Veterinary Medical Center in semesters three through five; and elective course opportunities in semesters four through nine which allow students to focus on individual educational/career goals. Students enrolled in the DVM program may register for up to 10 hours of graduate courses and these hours will be credited toward the DVM. Elective study offers a unique educational alternative for students in the College of Veterinary Medicine and is intended to enhance professional growth, concentration in an area of interest, and career opportunities.
In addition to education in the science and art of veterinary medicine, students receive instruction in paramedical subjects such as animal behavior, medical communication, professional ethics, jurisprudence, economics, and practice management.
The curriculum requires successful completion of 165 credit hours.
A veterinary public health concentration is available for students enrolled in the DVM curriculum and graduate veterinarians. This concentration is part of the Master of Public Health degree in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. For more information, see Public Health in this catalog. The College of Veterinary Medicine shares governance of the concentration through the Public Health Academic Program Committee and student advisors within this concentration are faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine. This concentration requires a separate application to the MPH Program.
