Graduation Requirements

Coursework
Administrative Requirements
Reminders
Curriculum Milestones
Other Requirements

The D.V.M. program is made up of two types of courses: Foundation and Distribution. All students take Foundation courses at the same time, in a prescribed sequence. The entire program takes four years to complete (174.5 credits of in-person study).

Foundation courses account for approximately 70% for the credits required for graduation, reflecting the College’s commitment to a broad, generalize veterinary education.

Distribution courses make up the remaining 30% of the credits required for graduation and offer students an opportunity to pursue their individual interests through a system of structured choices.

Coursework

Foundation Course Requirements

Foundation Courses (credits noted in parentheses)

Total Foundation Course Credits Required: 97.5

Foundation (Core) Clinical Rotations (2 credits each)

Total Foundation (Core) Clinics Credits Required: 26 (13 Blocks)

Pathway Clinical Rotations

Must complete 1 Pathway — 14 credits (7 Blocks)

Small Animal	Equine	General (Mixed)	Exotic Pets/SA	Zoo and Wildlife	Production Animals
Primary Care Surgery	Large Animal Medicine	Neurology	Neurology	Small Animal Medicine	Ambulatory (2 blocks)
Neurology OR Small Animal Medicine	Large Animal Surgery	Large Animal Medicine	Primary Care Surgery	Large Animal Medicine	Primary Care Surgery
Anesthesia	Anesthesia OR Neurology	Small Animal OR Large Animal Emergency & Critical Care	Anesthesia OR Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care	Cardiology OR Dentistry	Large Animal Medicine
Neurology	Large Animal Emergency & Critical Care	Ambulatory	Oncology	Theriogenology	Large Animal Surgery
Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care	Large Animal Surgery	Large Animal Surgery	Lab Animal OR Small Animal Medicine	(2 blocks) Wildlife, Exotics, Zoo	Special Topics Ambulatory
Cardiology	Theriogenology	Cardiology OR Oncology	Wildlife, Exotics, Zoo	Wildlife, Exotics, Zoo (1 additional block) OR Wildlife Medicine	Theriogenology
Oncology	Equine Specialty	Primary Care Surgery	Wildlife, Exotics, Zoo (1 additional block) OR Wildlife Medicine

Distribution Course Requirements

Part I: Distribution Sets I, II, III, IV, V, VII — Minimum Credits Required

Set I-R:	Courses Associated with The Animal Body: Required	3
Set I-A:	Courses Associated with The Animal Body: Aligned	0
Set II:	Courses Associated with Cell Biology & Genetics	0
Set III:	Courses Associated with Function & Dysfunction	0
Set IV:	Courses Associated with Host, Agent, & Defense	0
Set V:	Courses Associated with Animal Health & Disease	5.5
Set VI-A:	Courses Associated with Applied Clinical Rotations	0
Set VII:	Courses Associated with Veterinary Practice	1
SRT Projects		0

Part I Credits Required from Specific Sets: 9.5

Total Part I Credits Required: 31

Part II: Distribution Set VI — Rotations Associated with Applied Clinical Education
(May be satisfied by completing three of the rotations below, or by repeating a Core or Pathway rotation more than your core and pathway require.)

Advanced Ambulatory & Production Medicine	Cardiology	Primary Care Surgery
Clinical Wildlife, Exotic and Zoo Animal Medicine	Equine Specialty	Laboratory Animal Medicine
Clinical Oncology	Clinical Neurology	Small Animal Dentistry
Theriogenology	Shelter Medicine	Clinical Pathology Rotation
Clinical Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation	Farrier Skills for Veterinarians	Large Animal ECC
Opportunity Block	Wildlife Medicine

Total Part II Credits Required: 6 (3 blocks)

Total Distribution Credits Required (Part I and II): 37

(Apply for credit at least four weeks prior to starting rotation.)

Administrative Requirements

Payment of any outstanding amounts due the College of Veterinary Medicine or other units of Cornell University
Completion of Exit Interview required of all financial aid recipients

Reminders

It is your responsibility to know the requirements for graduation and to complete them on time. You may check your progress towards degree completion using the “Academic Requirements” tab in student center. Be aware that courses with “R” and “Incomplete” grades do not count.
Complete any course(s) for which you receive an “Incomplete” within the time specified by the course instructor and notify my office, in writing, immediately upon completion. Then, check your grade record on Student Center a week or two later to confirm that the grade has been recorded. This is important since faculty members are entitled to sabbatical leave, retirement, and other absences from the college, and may not be around to help clean up your record the last minute before graduation.

Curriculum Milestones

The DVM program includes four Curriculum Milestones that each student must successfully complete before advancing to the next phase of the program and/or graduating. The three OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) Milestone exams are clinical skills assessments held at key points following relevant instruction. They ensure that students are competent in fundamental skills before they progress in the curriculum. The Fourth Year Milestone ensures that students meet performance expectations during their clinical rotation year and undertake any necessary remediation prior to graduation.

As degree requirements, the Milestones are not affiliated with a particular course. Rather, when successfully completed, the results are recorded on the student’s transcript. To help students track their progress, audits of their degree requirements include the Milestones.

Other Requirements

To receive the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree, candidates must successfully complete curricular requirements, pay all fees, and be recommended for graduation by the faculty of the college.