Students at the College of Veterinary Medicine follow a four-year program of study. The first 34 months of the curriculum are designed to integrate a sound knowledge of the basic medical sciences with clinical application. Fourteen months of the curriculum are devoted entirely to the application of basic medical sciences to veterinary medical principles and procedures in clinical settings. Clinical training is divided into twenty, 3-week timeframes. Each student is required to take clinical instruction in the following areas: internal medicine, surgery, and emergency and critical care, with requirement to include both large animal and small animal species exposure. Each student also is required to take clinical rotations in anesthesia, diagnostic imaging and diagnostic pathology. Elective coursework is also required. Externships may be used to satisfy some of the elective requirements.
Andrew Parks College of Veterinary Medicine Office of Academic Affairs parksa@uga.edu 706-542-5717
172 hours
| VETM 5120 | The Science of Veterinary Medicine | 0.5 |
| VETM 5160 | Foundations of Veterinary Medicine Ia | 4 |
| VETM 5161 | Foundations of Veterinary Medicine Ib | 5 |
| VETM 5170L | Clinical Skills in Veterinary Medicine Ia | 2 |
| VETM 5171L | Clinical Skills in Veterinary Medicine Ib | 2 |
| VETM 5180 | Personal and Professional Development Ia | 2 |
| VETM 5181 | Personal and Professional Development Ib | 2 |
| VETM 5190L | Integumentary and Musculoskeletal Systems I: The Healthy Animal | 5 |
| VETM 5191 | Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Hemolymphatic Systems I: The Healthy Animal | 4 |
| VETM 5192 | Gastrointestinal System I: The Healthy Animal | 3 |
| VETM 5193 | Urinary System I: The Healthy Animal | 2 |
| VETM 5194 | Endocrine and Reproductive Systems I: The Healthy Animal | 4 |
| VETM 5195 | Nervous System, Sensing, and Behavior I: The Healthy Animal | 4 |
| VETM 5120 | The Science of Veterinary Medicine | 0.5 |
| VETM 5260 | Foundations of Veterinary Medicine IIa | 5 |
| VETM 5261 | Foundations of Veterinary Medicine IIb | 4 |
| VETM 5270L | Clinical Skills in Veterinary Medicine IIa | 2 |
| VETM 5271L | Clinical Skills in Veterinary Medicine IIb | 2 |
| VETM 5280 | Personal and Professional Development IIa | 2 |
| VETM 5281 | Personal and Professional Development IIb | 2 |
| VETM 5290 | Musculoskeletal System II: The Unhealthy Animal | 3 |
| VETM 5291 | Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Hemolymphatic Systems II: The Unhealthy Animal | 5 |
| VETM 5292 | Gastrointestinal System II: The Unhealthy Animal | 4 |
| VETM 5293 | Urinary and Reproductive Systems II: The Unhealthy Animal | 4.5 |
| VETM 5294 | Integumentary and Endocrine Systems II: The Unhealthy Animal | 4.5 |
| VETM 5295 | Nervous Sensing and Behavior II: The Unhealthy Animal | 4.5 |
| VETM 5310 | Core Medicine and Surgery: Integrated Animal Care and Management I | 4-8 |
| VETM 5311 | Clinical Reasoning, Decision Making, and Preparation for Practice | 2-6 |
| VETM 5320 | Core Medicine and Surgery: Integrated Animal Care and Management II | 1-5 |
| VETM 5380 | Personal and Professional Development IIIa | 1 |
| VETM 5381 | Personal and Professional Development IIIb | 1 |
| IDIS 5320 | Clinical Parasitology for Companion Animals | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5313 | Advanced Topics in Equine Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Hemolymphatic Disease | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5314 | Advanced Topics in Equine Neurology, Endocrinology, and Ophthalmology | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5322 | Large Animal Advanced Anesthesia | 1 |
| LAMS 5351 | Advanced Topics in Equine Gastroenterology and Dentistry | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5361 | Advanced Topics in Ruminant Medicine and Surgery | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5362L | Advanced Techniques in Ruminant Medicine and Surgery | 0.5-1.5 |
| LAMS 5375 | Advanced Topics in the Equine Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5377 | Advanced Topics in Equine Urogenital System and Neonatology | 1-2 |
| LAMS 5380-5380L | Advanced Techniques in Equine Medicine and Surgery | 0.5-1.5 |
| POPH 5300 | Production Management | 2 |
| POPH 5301 | Wildlife Diseases | 1 |
| POPH 5302-5302L | Laboratory Animal Medicine: Husbandry, Diseases, and Management of Laboratory Animals | 1.4 |
| POPH 5350 | Poultry Diseases | 1 |
| POPH 5380 | Public Health | 1 |
| POPH 5390 | Diseases of Swine | 1 |
| SAMS 5318 | Reptile, Avian, and Small Mammal Medicine | 2 |
| SAMS 5325 | Small Animal Advanced Anesthesia | 1 |
| SAMS 5361 | Advanced Topics in Feline Medicine and Surgery | 1-4 |
| SAMS 5362 | Advanced Topics in Canine Medicine and Surgery | 1-4 |
| SAMS 5363 | Advanced Clinical Reasoning in Domestic Small Animal Medicine | 1-4 |
| SAMS 5364L | Advanced Techniques in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery | 0.5-2 |
| SAMS 5370 | Shelter Medicine and Companion Animal Population Health | 1 |
| SAMS 5395 | Advanced Topics in Small Animal Emergency and Urgent Care | 1-4 |
| VPAT 5301 | Integrated and Advanced Diagnostics in Veterinary Pathology | 1 |
| VPAT 5302L | Advanced Techniques in Pathology: Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Pathways | 0.5-1 |
| VPAT 5321 | Veterinary Forensics and Forensic Pathology | 1 |
The clinical training portion of the DVM program spans 60 total weeks, broken up into 20, 3-week timeframes. Students complete 9 weeks of clinical training during the fall of their third year (roughly October, November, and early December). They then return to didactic study for the spring of the third year, before completing three additional continuous semesters of clinical training in their fourth year (i.e. the summer, fall, and spring semesters immediately following the end of the third year).
Each course during clinical training runs 1, 2, or 3-weeks in length, following a 3-week rotation schedule. The summer semester includes five 3-week blocks, while fall and spring include six. Some courses (blocks) may end or begin during holidays or semester breaks, and students are expected to continue clinical training during these breaks.
Each student’s unique schedule is a mix of in-hospital courses, off-site externship experiences, and approved vacation weeks, curated in accordance with programmatic and AVMA requirements and permitting flexibility and preference within elective experiences where possible. The CVM Office of Clinical Academic Affairs maintains a current list of approved clinical experiences and all schedules are created and approved under their purview.
| SAMS 5405 | Small Animal Clinical Anesthesia | 1.3-3.9 |
| SAMS(LAMS) 5445 | Clinical Radiology | 3.9 |
| SAMS 5475 | Small Animal Community Practice | 1.3-3.9 |
| VPAT 5400 | Diagnostic Pathology | 1.3-3.9 |
Choose 1 course(s) from the following:
| LAMS 5415 | Large Animal Internal Medicine | 1.3-3.9 |
| LAMS 5420 | Large Animal Surgery | 1.3-3.9 |
Choose 1 course(s) from the following:
| LAMS 5465 | Large Animal Emergency and Critical Care | 1.3-3.9 |
| SAMS 5490 | Emergency and Critical Care | 1.3-3.9 |
Choose 1 course(s) from the following:
| SAMS 5450 | Small Animal General Surgery | 1.3-3.9 |
| SAMS 5485 | Small Animal Internal Medicine | 1.3-3.9 |
In addition, some clinical courses may be repeated as an elective course for students desiring more experience in these areas. Students must schedule a minimum of 72.8 credit hours of clinical rotation courses.
Veterinary medicine is a unique combination of medical, agricultural, and biological sciences. It is the health profession that applies principles of biomedical sciences to health and disease in animals. Veterinary medical research also has important direct and indirect implications for human health. Veterinarians are charged with the health of the nation’s food producing animals and its companion animals, both of which are potential sources of diseases transmissible to humans. Veterinary medicine offers many excellent opportunities for those who hold an interest in medicine, who enjoy working with animals, and who want to contribute to society in a meaningful way.
The College fulfills its service and outreach mission through the accredited facilities of a veterinary teaching hospital, statewide diagnostic and investigational laboratories, and with continuing professional education. Two diagnostic laboratories are operated by the College, one in Athens and another in Tifton. Accessions are received from veterinarians, Georgia’s livestock industry, and research projects. Charged with disease surveillance, expertise within the faculty and staff monitor animal and associated public health concerns as well as provide support to other departments. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital serves as a resource for training programs in the small and large animal clinics for veterinary technicians from Gwinnett Technical College, Athens Technical College, and Fort Valley State College.
The College provides a program of continuing education for its graduates and other veterinarians within the state and region. Conferences, short courses, workshops, and instruction involving various medical and surgical disciplines are scheduled annually to update veterinarians with current knowledge, techniques, and serve as a focus for the exchange of information. The College maintains educational excellence in different areas of specialization which affords the veterinary graduate an interactive environment for learning. Veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and the public are invited to appropriate classes and laboratories.
The UGA chapter of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association encourages the personal and professional growth of students. One of its primary goals is to further the reputation of the College on campus, in the state, and nationwide. SCAVMA is also a means for relaying student feedback to the administration. SCAVMA supports all clubs in the veterinary school, brings in speakers, publishes a monthly calendar of College activities, informs students about available externships and scholarships, promotes volunteerism in the community, enhances the curriculum by funding supplemental wet labs, conference travel, and other continuing education opportunities, and distributes Intervet, the national veterinary school publication by and about veterinary students, in addition to a variety of other functions and activities.
Two veterinary medical professional fraternities, Alpha Psi and Omega Tau Sigma, are prominent within the College. These co-educational fraternities are dedicated to fostering and encouraging understanding, cooperation, respect, professional interest, strong bonds of friendship, and participation in various areas of veterinary medicine. Students may also join chapters of national associations concerned with various special areas of interest in veterinary medicine, including feline, aquatic, exotic, bovine, and equine associations, pathology, animal welfare and shelter medicine among others.
The College of Veterinary Medicine offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. These programs are designed to prepare graduates for positions in research and teaching, primarily in the medical sciences. Major areas of concentration include anatomy, infectious diseases, public health, parasitology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, and toxicology. The programs are open to veterinary graduates as well as candidates with bachelor's degrees in related areas. For veterinary graduates who need specialized training in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of poultry diseases, a program is offered leading to a Master of Avian Medicine. Internship and residency programs for veterinary graduates seeking advanced training are offered in small animal internal medicine, large animal internal medicine, small animal surgery, large animal surgery, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, theriogenology, dermatology, anesthesiology, and radiology.
Veterinary medical graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis to support qualified graduate students holding the DVM degree. Other graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis to students who do not have a DVM. Professional and graduate students are involved in research programs through various seminars, group discussions, and individually supervised research programs. Faculty members in the College are in the Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, which are also staffed by faculty from a number of University departments.