Home » The UMW Pre-Vet Program Course Requirements

The UMW Pre-Vet Program Course Requirements

Completing the Pre-Veterinary Medicine course requirements and earning very good grades are the most important requirements for vet school.  Schools of Veterinary Medicine judge your general academic ability by the undergraduate courses you select and the grades you earn. The average overall undergraduate GPA of first year vet students is approximately 3.5.  This means you need to be more than an above average student, you need to excel in the classroom.  Don’t be too concerned about a mediocre grade now and then.  But clearly, mediocre grades cannot dominate your transcript.

Required Courses

The UMW Pre-Vet Program requires its students to take the courses listed below.  This list of courses is driven by the prerequisite courses of most vet schools.  You should be able to successfully incorporate these courses into your overall UMW curriculum and within the framework of any UMW major program.

  • Biology 121 (Biol Concepts) and Biol 132 (Organism Function and Diversity)  – or –  Biology 125 & 126  (Phage Hunters I, II).

  • Chemistry 111 & 112 (General Chemistry I, II).

  • Chemistry 211 & 212 (Organic Chemistry I, II).

  • Physics  101 & 102  (Gen. Physics I, II)  – or-  Physics 105 & 106 (University Physics I, II).

  • Chemistry 317 (Biochem I)

    • While it is not required, the VA/MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, would like to see Chem 318 (Biochem II) on your transcript.

    • Biochem lab (319 & 320) are NOT required nor recommended.

  • English composition / literature: 2 courses (6 credits).

    • For English composition, ENGL 202, 302, 306 or a writing intensive course suggested English composition courses.

    • Check UMW course catalog for English literature courses.

  • Mathematics and Statistics: 2 courses (6 credits).

    • Introductory Statistics (STAT 180) is generally required by vet schools.

    • Any Math will satisfy the second course.  Math 111 (Precalculus), and Math 121 (Calculus I) are suggested.  Note:  Calculus is NOT a requirement for Vet school.

These courses may not be taken Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit, or through a long-distance learning program.

Highly Recommended Courses

In addition to the 8 credits of general biology listed above, other biology courses are highly recommended. The following is a list of recommended courses.

  • Cellular Biology (Biol 340)

  • General Genetics (Biol 341)

  • Microbiology (Biol 371)

  • Histology (Biol 331)

  • Anatomy of the Chordates (Biol 301) – or – Comparative Anatomy

  • Human Physiology (Biol 413)*

  • Developmental Biology (Biol 439)

  • Immunology (Biol 391)

  • Nutrition and Metabolism (Biol 415)

  • Parasitology (Biol 372)

  • Animal Behavior (Biol 401)