Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Your career as a veterinarian starts today.
If you have a passion for animals and a calling to protect public health, pre-veterinary studies at the University of Northern Iowa will prepare you for veterinary school.
There are various types of veterinarians including companion animal veterinarians who treat pets such as dogs and cats, birds and ferrets. Food animal veterinarians work with farm animals such as pigs, cattle and sheep that are raised to be food sources. Food safety and inspection veterinarians inspect and test livestock and animal products for major animal diseases.
The pre-veterinary program is not an academic major; rather, it’s a suggested program of study that will prepare you for admission to veterinary school after completion of your undergraduate degree from UNI.
High
Salary
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for veterinarians was $99,250 in May 2020. Today’s veterinarians are able to offer many services that are comparable to healthcare for humans.
Vet Prep
School
A degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry allows you to complete the prerequisites for veterinary school, while gaining hands-on lab experiences to set you apart from the crowd.
High
Demand
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for veterinarians is projected to grow 17 percent from 2020 to 2030, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations.
Common Pre-Veterinary Majors
Biochemistry Major
A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biochemistry works well for students who are interested in drug development, dosage determination (pharmacokinetics) and toxicology. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is excellent for students who are interested in becoming physicians, dentists, pharmacists and veterinarians.
Biology Major
A biology degree will allow you to start on pre-veterinary courses right away making a biology major an efficient pathway to prepare you for veterinary school.