North Carolina State's College of Veterinary Medicine (cvm.ncsu.edu) focuses on six main areas of study: companion animal medicine, food supply medicine, biomedical research, ecosystem health, equine medicine and animal welfare. The school provides a quality education in these areas through quality teaching by leading professionals in the veterinary field; research programs conducted by faculty together with students; and serving the community through its animal welfare programs and teaching veterinary hospitals.
The college offers a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, which prepares graduates to become leaders in the industry. Master's programs in veterinary public health and specialized veterinary medicine are also available. Students have the opportunity to pursue another degree through combined degree programs. For instance, students may take classes to receive a combined DVM and Masters of Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Doctoral degrees in immunology, physiology, fisheries and wildlife or comparative biomedical sciences can be earned together with the DVM, reducing the amount of time needed to get an advanced degree.
The core of the DVM program at the school is clinical experience. The school has a veterinary teaching hospital, advanced biomedical research labs and a working farm at which students in their third and fourth year spend a significant amount of time. To prepare students for post-graduation internships and residencies, fourth-year students dedicate their clinical practice to a focus area. These focus areas include clinical scientist, equine practice, animal welfare, laboratory animal medicine, pathology, small animal practice, zoological medicine, epidemiology and public health.
Admission to veterinary school is difficult by any standard and even more competitive at North Carolina State, which U.S. News and World Report ranked the third best veterinary school in the nation in 2011. Surprisingly a bachelor's degree is not a prerequisite for admission but rather successful completion of 60 credits in prerequisite courses including chemistry, biology, statistics, calculus, animal nutrition, genetics, humanities and physics. These courses usually qualify a student for an associate degree. A grade point average above 3.0 and a successful score on the Graduate Record Exam is also a factor in admission. Veterinary experience and animal experience, working on a farm or volunteer work at a veterinary office is considered essential for admission.