Admission Requirements (Class Entering Fall 2009) - DVM Admissions

Thank you for taking time to visit our Web site! We encourage you to take a few moments to carefully review the admissions requirements and application process for our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program.

Prerequisite Courses¹
*UPDATED 04-02-2008*
WesternU Prerequisite Coursework	Semester Units	Quarter Units	Notes
Organic Chemistry (including laboratory)	3	4
Biochemistry^2,3	3	4	Lab not required but recommended
Upper-Division Biological and Life Sciences^{3,4,5, 6}Must include one upper division laboratory. These upper division courses/labs must have been completed after August 1, 2001.	6	8	Introductory, survey or fundamental courses not accepted
Upper or Lower-Division Biological and Life Sciences⁴	3	4	Courses from a non-science department are not accepted
Microbiology^3,5	3	4	Cell biology and molecular biology not accepted. Lab not required but recommended
Nutrition^3,5	3	4	May be human or animal nutrition
Genetics^3,5	3	4
General Physics (including laboratory)	6	8
Statistics²	3	4	Biostatistics & biometry courses are accepted
English Composition	3	4	Composition, creative writing
Written Communication in Science or Technology	3	4	Acceptable courses: academic, report, or proposal writing, writing for the professions, technical or scientific writing/communication,
Oral Communication	3	4	Interpersonal or group communication courses not accepted unless significant emphasis on oral presentation skills
Psychology or Sociology	3	4
Humanities/Social Science	6	8	art, ethnic studies, foreign language, history, humanities, liberal studies, music, philosophy, political science, religious studies, social sciences, theater, behavior
Global Cultural/Financial Perspectives	3	4	Must have non-Western/non-U.S. focus on multiple cultures and/or multiple economies

¹ All courses must be completed at a regionally-accredited college or university in the U.S. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Coursework completed outside the United States(including Canada) must be evaluated by a WesternU approved evaluation service. All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or higher ("C-" or lower is not acceptable). One course cannot be used to satisfy more than one prerequisite.

³ These required courses must have been completed no more than 8 years prior to the date of matriculation at WesternU-CVM. Classes taken after August 1, 2001 will be considered within the 8 year time limit and may be applied toward the prerequisites for the class entering Fall 2009.

⁴ While not specifically required, courses in anatomy, physiology and embryology are strongly encouraged.

⁵ All except two of these courses must be completed by the end of the fall term immediately prior to matriculation at WesternU-CVM (i.e. December 31, 2008 for class entering fall 2009).

⁶ Recommended areas: biology, zoology, anatomy, physiology, embryology, endocrinology, immunology, cell biology, molecular biology, animal science, reproduction, parasitology, histology, toxicology and pharmacology

WesternU-CVM is committed to the goal of admitting a class with a high level of broadly defined diversity (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, educational background, economic background, professional experience, career goals, etc.) that reflects the diversity of people in the United States and the State of California.

Applicants must have a 2.50 overall GPA (all coursework) at the time of application in order to be considered for admission. Applicants are not required to have obtained an undergraduate degree (BA/BS), however earning a degree will likely strengthen your application. Western U-CVM supports the admission of applicants from a wide range of undergraduate degree programs.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL) (including essay) is required for all applicants who are not U.S. citizens and for whom English is a second language. EXCEPTION:The TOEFL exam will be waived for students who have graduated, or will have graduated,with a confirmed baccalaureate or higher degree from a United States institution by the time of matriculation if appropriate documentation is provided.

We require three (3) letters of recommendation. Choose your letters of recommendation wisely; the reference should know you well and be able to speak to your knowledge, work ethic, understanding of the profession, and morals. Recommendation forms should be obtained from and returned to VMCAS.

Applicants who wish to use course work completed outside the United States must submit their transcripts for evaluation to a Western University Approved Service. A course-by-course evaluation is required and all course work must be designated as undergraduate, graduate or professional. Western University will only honor evaluations from one of the above services. The evaluation must be included with the application packet.

Please Note

All requirements (including prerequisite coursework) are reviewed annually and thus are subject to change. Requirements on this page were updated April 2, 2008 and are effective for applications submitted for the class entering in fall 2009.

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