Pre-Veterinary Studies
Degree Type: Bachelor of Science in Biology, Biochemistry or Environmental Science
Program(s) Offered: Preprofessional Program
Prepare for veterinary school at a college that values respect and stewardship of the natural world — it's what our Franciscan heritage is all about!
Explore and perform research on the nation's largest urban tallgrass prairie, located in our own backyard; or embark on learning trips that have included South Dakota's Black Hills, the West Texas desert, the Southern California chaparral, Ozark forests, Hawaiaan islands and the Costa Rican jungle. Gain hands-on experience inside one of the region's only educational cadaver labs, or work with some of the most state-of-the-art biology equipment that any undergraduate school our size has to offer.
Here, you'll study under some of the most accomplished faculty in the region (and with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you'll be a name — not a number). Our graduates have gone on to study at veterinary schools including Iowa State University, Kansas State University and the University of Minnesota, among others.
We recommend our pre-veterinary students select one (or more) of the following majors:
Biochemistry Major
How does life work? Biochemistry helps find the answer, which means it's a great launching point for a career in veterinary medicine — or anything else that has to do with nature or science. Simply put, biochemistry is the study of how life works at the molecular level.
Core courses:
- BIOL 151 — General Biology
- BIOL 357 — Genetics
- BIOL 420(L) — Cell & Molecular Biology (w/lab)
- BCMB 10IS — Molecular & Genetic Techniques I
- BCMB 20IS — Molecular & Genetic Techniques II
- BCMB 401-03 — Biochemistry Research Project I, II & III
- CHEM 111(L) — Principles of Chemistry (w/lab)
- CHEM 112(L) — Principles of Chemistry II (w/lab)
- CHEM 337(L) — Organic Chemistry (w/lab)
- CHEM 338(L) — Organic Chemistry II (w/lab)
- CHEM 442(L) — Biochemistry (w/lab)
- CHEM 443 — Biochemistry II