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General Pre-Veterinary School Course Requirements

Course requirements vary greatly between schools. It is most important that you research the schools you are interested in for their pre-veterinary requirements. You can check the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) for the Summary of Course Prerequisites or access the Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR) for the most updated course requirements by school.

Although prerequisite requirements vary by school, the following are some of the most common courses required. Again, it is important to check the requirements of each school you are considering and for which you plan to apply. Please refer to the most updated AAVMC website for school-specific requirements. (updated 2020-2021)

General (Inorganic) Chemistry & Organic Chemistry, most schools require 2 semesters of general chemistry and 2 semesters of organic chemistry both with a lab.

Chem 1A/1AL, 1B (lab included), 3A/3AL, 3B/3BL

Biology/Zoology, most schools require 2 semesters with a lab.

Bio 1B (lab included), Bio 1A/1AL

Physiology, some schools require 1 semester.

MCB 136 (Human Physiology) OR IB 148 (Comparative Animal Physiology)

Microbiology, some schools require 1 semester with a lab. Some schools require 2.

MCB C112/112L OR PH 162A/162L (1 semester)
MCB C103 OR MCB 116 OR IB 118 (if 2 semester required)

Biochemistry, 1 semester (some schools require one semester)

MCB 102 OR Chem 135 OR MCB C100A/Chem 130A

Physics. 1-2 semesters

Physics 8A, 8B OR Physics 7A, 7B OR Physics 7A, 8B

Genetics, some schools require 1 semester.

IB 164

Mathematics/Statistics, 1-2 semesters

Math 16A, 16B OR Math 1A, 1B OR Math 53, 54 OR
Math 10A*, 10B* Math 10B does not fulfill the statistics requirement for most vet schools.
Statistics (not all vet schools require stats)
Stats 2 OR Stats 20 OR Stat 131 or PH 142

English. 2 semesters

Generally, English R1A, R1B or any courses that satisfy the Reading and Composition requirement at Berkeley will fulfill veterinary school English coursework requirements for most veterinary schools. Save your course syllabi in case any veterinary schools express concern that you did not complete their English requirement.

Nutrition (Animal), some schools require 1 semester.

Not offered at Berkeley, consider contacting vet schools for recommendations on where to take it.

Speech/Public Speaking, most schools require 1 semester.

College Writing Program 10A or 10B

Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science, most schools require 1 semester of an introductory course. Some schools require 2.

Psych 1 (for majors) OR Psych 2 (for non majors) AND Sociology 1