Our DVM curriculum gives you the kowledge and hands-on experience to be “practice-ready.”
In your early years you'll learn the foundational knowledge to care for animals' health and wellbeing.
During your final year, flexible clinical rotations offer seven tracks that allow you to focus, gain hands-on expereince, and pursue any veterinary career path that you choose.
During year one you'll examine the healthy animal with courses such as anatomy, physiology, microscopic anatomy, immunology, behavior, and nutrition.
During year two you'll focus on the response of the body to injury and disease with courses such as pathology, bacteriology, virology, parasitology, pharmacology, and epidemiology.
During year three you'll learn about the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in a variety of major domestic species with courses such as small animal primary care, food animal medicine, surgery, and diagnostics.
Also, in year three you'll choose a track to focus on your specific future career goals. The track determines both your required and elective courses for the fourth year. There are seven tracks:
The fourth year consists entirely of clinical rotations. There are no didactic courses in the fourth year.
Your fourth year courses are determined by the track you select in year three.
You are required to complete a six-week externship at an off-campus location supervised by a veterinarian. Externships are very flexible. You'll arrange the experience to support your future career goals.
Externships may be domestic or international experiences.
We encourage you to complete the entire externship at one location to maximize the amount of hands-on experience you get, but you may request permission to split your externship at two or three locations.
The Off-Campus/Adjunct Faculty Block program allows you to individualize and enrich your fourth year education by arranging well-supervised, rigorous off-campus experiences that are not available at Purdue.
The range of experiences that have been previously approved includes: pet bird/exotic animal practice, zoo animal practice, intensive food animal operations, embryo transfer, and governmental or private pharmaceutical laboratory research.
During a series of small group, problem-based learning courses in the first three semesters, you'll work with other students and a faculty coach to study cases. These cases help you apply the basic science information, learn how to find information in literature, and apply it to solve a problem.
You'll also develop skills in communication, teamwork, and independent learning which will help in your future career.
A series of six courses called Veterinary Skills and Competencies (VSAC) occur each semester of the first three years.
These courses give you the opportunity to practice clinical skills, communication skills, business acumen, professionalism, and wellness.
You'll get hands-on experience with animals throughout these courses in our Clinical Skills Laboratory.
Instruction occurs through faculty-led laboratories, faculty-led discussions, online modules completed by independent study, and peer teaching.
After you achieve competency in specific clinical skills, you will assist fourth year DVM students in the Veterinary Hospital during evening and weekend shifts under the direction of senior veterinary students!
If you are intersted in learning more about any of the specific courses offered (including those for our seven tracks), we encourage you to explore the official course catalog.
If you still have questions, please contact us at vetadmissions@purdue.edu.
