A Bachelor of Science in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, with pre-veterinary concentration is required in order to become a veterinarian. Some required courses include ethics and human values and social context, along with 42 hours of animal and veterinary science. This program typically leaves around 18 hours of electives that a student can use to specialize in a specific area.
Horse veterinary courses are available through Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree programs. Several courses are required to complete this program. The Management of Colic in Horses course is an advanced class that teaches the student how to administer therapies to treat the illness. An animal nutrition course is also required. This course focuses on the basic dietary needs of the animal.
These courses are designed for the veterinarian who wants to work in the field, focusing on conservation and management of resources. This specialty involves strenuous outdoor activity. The course will teach you how to capture an animal in a humane manner, while remaining safe. Classes include topics like chemical and mechanical game capture, drug-delivery systems and field anesthesia procedures.
Wildlife veterinarians focus on using their skills to improve global conservation efforts through education, research and development. Some of the specialized courses include post-mortem techniques, game-capture overview, meat hygiene in wildlife, and wildlife disease recognition. A beginner's course, Introduction to Conservation Medicine, focuses on various aspects of conservation and requires approximately 40 hours of lecture, as well as 40 hours of hands-on work.