Are you willing to study veterinary medicine but you are yet to pick a veterinary school that is right for you? Here are the best veterinary schools in Texas.
Promoting the health and wellbeing of animals can be an enriching career. For many people, a pet is like another member of the family, and the general welfare of animals is of concern to many as well.
Whether caring for the smallest critters or looking out for horses at a stable, animal lovers can channel their care and passion into a career that improves the quality of life for animals and humans alike.
There are many reasons to become a veterinarian. Besides potentially high earning potential (veterinarians earn a median salary of $89k a year), the occupational outlook seems very promising.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs in this field is projected to grow by 16% within the next ten years, rapidly outpacing growth in many other areas. See Best Public Health Schools in the US.
Being a great veterinarian requires compassion, excellent interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and a comprehensive science education.
These qualities take years to develop and hone, and it takes a great veterinary school to acquire the scientific knowledge and clinical skills necessary for a successful career in veterinary medicine.
There are a handful of schools across the nation that adequately prepare an aspiring vet for this career.
Texas is already known for world-class educational institutions. It is also home to two of the best veterinary schools in the country.
We present a snapshot of these schools and a brief guide on how to stand out from the rest of the applicant pool; these schools are competitive.
Here are the two veterinary schools in Texas
1. Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of the top veterinary schools in the country, consistently ranking among the top ten programs on the US News & World Report each year.
It is one of the most prestigious and established veterinary medicine programs in the country. Located in the Bryan-College Station metro area, one of the largest in Texas, the college is ideally situated to help bridge laboratory instruction with professional and educational opportunities in the world beyond the campus.
The College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences offers a strong curriculum, designed to train the best veterinarians in Texas and throughout the country. See Texas A&M University Acceptance Rate.
The first three years are focused on providing vet students with foundational knowledge in the relevant sciences, such as animal physiology and histology.
Education in the sciences is interspersed with courses in professional and clinical skills that prepare students for the experiential component of their education and training.
Beginning in the third year, students begin to specialize in specific career tracks in treating companion animals, horses, or food animals.
The years of preclinical coursework culminate into clinical rotations within each training track in the fourth year.
At Texas A&M, training does not end at clinical rotations; newly graduated veterinarians can opt for one-year internships where they work alongside experts in their chosen discipline.
Interns can specialize in internal medicine, small animals, large animals, and zoological medicine and are assigned substantial primary care responsibilities and receive intensive, hands-on training.
The Small Animal Internship program has a notably high residency placement rate of 60-100% each year.
Another program that stands out is the Underserved Communities Internship. In this program, interns receive comprehensive and intensive clinical training focusing on communicating and engaging with diverse and underserved communities while caring for their small animals.
Residencies are another critical component of veterinary medical training, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences offers ample opportunities in this area.
The main disciplines are Veterinary Pathobiology, Small Animals, and Large Animals, which subdivide into such specialties as Radiology, Surgery, Comparative Medicine, Oncology, Anesthesia, and more.
The college’s suite of professional and educational opportunities includes externships, private practices, and programs in Texas as well as across other states.
While the college encourages employers and organizations to post their externships on the college’s platform, students interested in externship opportunities must individually and proactively secure them.
Whether working in an internship or as part of one of the outstanding residency programs, veterinary students are integrated as part of the primary care team at the renowned Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
The hospital handles over 24,000 cases each year, employing over 400 veterinarians and staff. Generating over $15 million each year, VMTH is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and provides the most comprehensive, quality care for all species of animals in the region and the nation.
2. Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine
The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is perhaps the latest addition to the country’s growing list of veterinary medicine programs. The school is set to admit its second class in Fall 2021.
The school received Provisional Accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE).
This status is granted to vet med programs in their incipient stages. Programs must demonstrate progress over five years.
Unlike most veterinary schools, Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine only accepts applicants from Texas and New Mexico.
Initial applications must be submitted via the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) and, upon invitation, must subsequently submit a Secondary Application.
Applicants are more than their grades, so an applicant’s unique qualities and potential contributions must be gleaned from materials submitted as part of the Secondary Application, the interview, and the results of the CASPer test, which applicants are required to submit as part of the application process.
Like most veterinary medicine schools, the school requires prerequisite coursework in basic sciences such as General Biology, Genetics, and Chemistry.
No profile of the entering class of Fall 2020 has been published, so we cannot vouch for the selectivity of the Admissions Committee. In 2020, 60 students were admitted to the inaugural group.
Nevertheless, the Texas and New Mexico residency requirement narrow the applicant pool quite a bit, ensuring smaller class sizes and, in turn, effective training and education for current and future Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine students.
Limiting admissions to Texas and New Mexico residents also ensures that the fledgling school can focus on its mission to bring high-quality and compassionate veterinary services to rural and regional communities.
One of the attributes the Admissions Committee looks for is the likelihood of committing to service of rural and regional communities throughout Texas.
Last but not least, applicants are required to come in with some exposure to the field. While there is no minimum number of hours needed, the Admissions Committee recommends that applicants gain some experience in a veterinary or clinical setting.
It is not enough to simply state interest in veterinary medicine; it is essential to demonstrate said interest. As the saying goes: show, don’t tell.
The curriculum at Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine follows a traditional, four-year structure. For the first three years, students gain the foundational knowledge and skills needed for success in a clinical setting.
Coursework in the first three years includes microbiology, systemic pathology, and theriogenology. Courses on clinical skills and presentations are interspersed with introductory science courses.
The three years of foundational training and instruction culminate into the Clinical Year, in which students partake in 4-week clinical rotations in the major areas of veterinary medicine.
Conclusion
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Last Updated on June 26, 2023 by Admin
