Veterinary Medicine Prerequisite Courses – Online

Oregon State University delivers a range of courses online that might help you fulfill certain prerequisite requirements for veterinary school. This page is designed to help you discover if and how Oregon State’s offerings meet your needs and align with your goals.

In addition to coursework, there are many factors to consider in pursuing veterinary school, including exams, references, experience and other professional development. You should carefully consult appropriate online veterinary resources and programs before you decide to fulfill prerequisites or make other decisions related to pursuing veterinary medicine.

Are the online prerequisite courses part of an official pre-veterinary medicine program?

No, these courses are not part of a degree or certificate program and will not lead to a standalone credential unless you enroll in them as a degree-seeking student. However, you may pursue these courses as a nondegree student if you previously earned a bachelor’s degree and simply want to complete prerequisites, as there are no specific degrees required for veterinary schools.

If you do not have a bachelor’s degree, you can pursue one in a relevant, natural sciences-focused program online with Oregon State if it aligns with your goals.

Which Oregon State online degree program offers the best pathway toward vet school?

There is not a recommended online bachelor’s program for degree-seeking pre-veterinary medicine students, in part due to potential challenges around transferability of online lab courses and limited experiential opportunities and support resources for online pre-veterinary medicine students. Additionally, there is no degree delivered by Oregon State Ecampus at this time that includes all prerequisite requirements for veterinary school in its curriculum.

However, if you elect to move forward with Ecampus to complete your prerequisite courses as part of an online bachelor’s program despite these challenges, zoology is most commonly considered due to the content of the major.

Can financial aid or military tuition benefits be applied toward these courses?

Degree-seeking students
Yes, you can use federal financial aid or military tuition benefits if you’re taking these courses as a student in an Oregon State bachelor’s degree program.

Nondegree-seeking students
Federal financial aid is not available to nondegree students, nor can military tuition benefits be applied toward courses taken as a nondegree student.

Are credits earned in OSU’s online labs transferable?

Historically, most veterinary medicine programs nationwide have not accepted credits earned in online lab courses. Remote learning accommodations in the time of COVID-19 have resulted in at least temporary acceptance of online labs by some veterinary medicine programs, but there is no guarantee that this will be permanent. Check with the veterinary medicine program you are interested in to see if they accept transfer credits from online lab courses.

What support services are available for students in these prerequisite courses?

Even as a nondegree-seeking student, you can access services like free online tutoring, Oregon State's Disability Access Services, OSU Libraries and Canvas support. However, support services specific to pre-veterinary medicine are limited.

Additionally, participation in OSU’s Pre-Veterinary Medical Association student club, OSU’s animal care experiences and the pre-veterinary medicine orientation courses are for Corvallis campus students only. Access to pre-veterinary medicine advising is also limited.

Does Oregon State offer a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program?

Yes, Oregon State’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine offers an on-campus DVM program in Corvallis. The program accepts all of OSU’s online prerequisite courses and labs. Because preferential admissions treatment is not given to Oregon State students over any other students, completing your prerequisite courses through Ecampus will not impact your likelihood of being admitted into Oregon State’s veterinary medicine program.

You can view updated admissions statistics for the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine.