About Us

An intensive program geared towards preparing you for the rigorous requirements of vet school

Faculty coaching

Head start on your first-year curriculum

Gain a veterinary student mentor

The graduate certificate in veterinary science was designed by veterinary professors for future veterinary students and animal health professionals.

New courses not offered to undergraduates

Tap into veterinary student mentors for insight on getting accepted to veterinary school

Learn skills to succeed in veterinary school

Career coaching from College of Veterinary Medicine faculty

A bridge between undergrad and your first year of veterinary school

The 12-week summer program requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Only 32 highly-qualified applicants will be accepted. If you don't have time to commit to the full-time, 12-week program, we also offer the program as a part-time 2-semester program with a time commitment of approximately 10 hours per week. This program is perfect for individuals with full-time careers. Both programs are 100% online and are affordably priced at $8,880 ($740 per credit hour ¹).

1. Price as of AY24. Tuition rates are subject to change. Tuition and fees are direct costs charged by the university. The cost of attendance also includes indirect cost allowances for food, housing, books, supplies, and other expenses. You will not be billed by the university for these costs unless you live in university housing. Use the Illinois Cost Calculator for an estimated cost of attendance.

Dr Lowe - Affordable, Online, Real-world application, Designed for working professionals

Program Objectives
1. Foundation: Build a strong foundation for success in veterinary school.
2. Concepts: Under the process of applying basic principles of health science in solving animal health problems.
3. Prepare: Better prepare and strengthen your veterinary school applications.
4. Excel: Develop confidence and competence in critical thinking in solving animal health problems.

More About Our Program

This program is for you if you are seeking to:

Strengthen your veterinary school application

Build a strong foundations for success

Develop critical thinking in solving animal health problems

Redefine professional competency skills

What you will gain from the program:

Graduate Certificate
Strengthening your veterinary school application
Transcripts for graduate-level courses
Academic and career guidance
Professional network
Professional mentorship from CVM faculty

What you will learn during the program:

Animal structure and function
Mechanisms of host homeostasis
Role of microbes in health and disease
Principles of health evaluation and disease diagnosis
Importance of critical thinking in disease investigation

Where do students from this program get jobs?

Mayo Clinic
The American Medical Association
Blue Cross Blue Shield
The American Academy of Pediatrics
St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital
Leader and innovator in online education
AstraZeneca
Department of Veteran Affairs

The Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Science consists of 4 courses for a total of 12 credit hours. The four courses focus on the main concepts taught in the first year of veterinary school.

Courses

VCM 507 Veterinary Form and Function

Students will gain foundational knowledge in anatomy and physiology, with an introduction to case-based thinking and the fundamentals of application, when assessing clinical or herd health problems at the systems level as required in approved courses for the Master of Veterinary Science and the graduate certificate.

VCM 509 Biology of Veterinary Pathogens

The course includes an overview of relevant veterinary microbiology and the interaction between microbes and their hosts. The course will build upon knowledge acquired in VCM 507, and relevant physiology pertaining to disease prevalence, prevention, and pathology will be discussed. The host immune system will be highlighted, and important bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites will be studied. Current and emerging pathogens, and the relevance of potential zoonotic spillovers to human populations will be discussion points.

VCM 513 Science of Homeostasis

Students will develop an integrated, science-based approach to health problems by helping them understand how each organ system contributes to whole-body homeostasis. In this graduate-level course, students will be introduced to the concept that life is difficult – that individual animals and populations are continually exposed to internal and external hardships and to specific health challenges. To live healthy and productive lives, animals must resist and/or adapt to a wide range of health ordeals and difficulties. This ability or capacity of an individual to adapt to change and challenge is termed homeostasis and is a key concept in the design and implementation of health management strategies.

VCM 514 Science of Health Evaluation

Participants will apply their foundational knowledge of anatomy, physiology, immunology, microbiology, and pathology in evaluating and solving health failure problems in the major body systems. The graduate-level course will use a problem-driven, case-based approach to train students how to apply the basic principles of health science in solving clinical problems in individual animals. Participants will learn to ask thoughtful, focused, and purposeful questions when collecting clinical data, and how to use a problem-oriented approach in evaluating health problems, constructing inquiry pathways, and designing therapeutic and disease management strategies.

Check out a Sample Lecture