Course descriptionThe College offers a four-year full-time program ( curriculum ) leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree. The first three years are taught in a case-based and traditional lecture/laboratory format. At the end of the first year, students choose a track - small animal, food animal, equine, mixed species and public/corporate veterinary medicine . Considerable flexibility exists for a student to tailor their curriculum to meet individual needs and interests. The senior year (clinical) is 12 months in length.
The professional curriculum is designed to provide a balanced educational foundation for the varied opportunities available to the veterinary graduate. The program is concerned not only with the normal anatomy and physiology of animals, but also with disease processes, clinical diagnosis, and medical management responsibilities which set the veterinary profession apart from other animal, biological, and zoological science professions. The goal is to educate veterinarians with a firm foundation of basic biomedical knowledge and with the ability to apply this information in a problem-solving setting in order to provide excellent patient care and to increase scientific knowledge for the benefit of animals, the environment, and human beings.
The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine curriculum is designed to be completed in four years. The first three years, consisting of two semesters each, are devoted to class, laboratory, and clinical studies at the College's main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The fourth or final year is of three semesters and twelve month's duration. The majority of the fourth-year clerkships are spent in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg, interacting with clients and patients. Depending on the field of study chosen, other clerkships are conducted at the Leesburg and University of Maryland campuses. Additionally, elective clerkships are conducted off campus.