Professional doctorate
Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD)
University of Pennsylvania · School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Official award
- Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD)VMD
- Pathway
- Veterinary medicineStated for United States
- Format
- On campusFour years
- Tuition
- Not published
About this program
Four-year learner-centric, outcome-oriented professional veterinary doctorate offering preparation for careers from clinical medicine to research.
- Subject
- Veterinary medicine
- Department
- School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet)
- Awarding body
- Not stated on the pages we checked
Qualification and professional pathway
Pathway is classified only from a statement on an official page. An award title such as DVM, BVSc, BSc or MSc does not decide it, and no degree, accreditation or listing by itself grants permission to practise anywhere.
- Degree level
- Professional doctorateA professional doctorate that is itself the entry qualification (for example the DVM or VMD). It is listed separately from research PhDs and is not equivalent to them.
- Pathway
- Veterinary medicinePrograms the source describes as the academic and clinical qualification toward becoming a veterinarian in the stated jurisdiction. Registration or licensing normally requires further steps, and a qualification from one country does not guarantee registration in another.
- Why we classify it this way
- The page describes the VMD as the school academic veterinary doctorate, four years, with NAVLE pass rates reported for graduates.“academic veterinary curriculum is a doctorate program that culminates in the awarding of the Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris degree”Source
- Prior degree required
- Not published
| Route | Duration | Credits | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| After pre-veterinary coursework | Four-year curriculum | – | Matriculation requirements (coursework) completed before matriculation; no specific degree statedSource |
Accreditation, evaluation and recognition
Recorded for this program and campus, with the authority’s role. Program accreditation, evaluation status, professional-body recognition, eligibility toward registration, institutional recognition, directory listings and memberships are different things; none of them is automatic permission to practise, and recognition in one country does not guarantee registration in another.
Verified in official recordAVMA Council on Education (COE)Program accreditationFull statusUS
Scope: Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD) program, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA); Status Accredited, last evaluation 2023, next evaluation 2030
Stated by the schoolAVMA Council on Education (COE)Program accreditationFull statusUS
Scope: School statement: Accredited; last accreditation 2024, next site visit 2030 (the school page prints 2024; the AVMA register prints last evaluation 2023)
Study structure
- Delivery
- On campusTaught at the listed campus.
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration
- Four years
- Intakes
- Fall 2027
- Campus
- Philadelphia campus (Penn Vet, Ryan Hospital)3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Source could not be re-checked automatically.
Teaching language
- Taught in
- Not stated on the pages we checked
- English
- English teaching not verifiedAn English-language website does not mean a program is taught in English.
Admissions
- Animal or veterinary experience
- Animal or veterinary experience recommendedNo required number of hours; at least 600 hours of veterinary experience strongly recommended.
- Interview
- Not published
- Previous qualification
- No specific overall GPA required; a GPA of at least 3.0 recommended (incoming class average about 3.6). Matriculation requirements need not be complete to apply; courses must be C or above.
- Science prerequisites
- Matriculation requirements include English 6 semester credits, social sciences or humanities 6, physics 8 (2 laboratories), chemistry 12 total, plus other courses; completed before matriculation.
- Tests explicitly required
- Penn Vet no longer considers (or accepts) the GRE.
- Documents
- VMCAS application, three references (1 academic/science, 1 veterinarian, 1 of choice), transcripts, essays, supplemental information form.
- Deadlines
- VMCAS application for entry in Fall 2027 has a deadline of Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026 · Fall 2027 · this date has passed; check the current cycle
- Official instructions
- Application instructions
Source could not be re-checked automatically.
Fees and costs
Original currency is authoritative. Each price keeps its basis (per year, per credit, whole program), academic year and student category, and is never converted. Annual tuition and whole-program tuition are different figures.
The institution does not publish tuition for this program on the pages we checked. Ask for current fees, what they include and whether clinical or laboratory charges, equipment and protective clothing, travel, placement expenses and insurance are extra.
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: tuition, clinical placement details, whether a prior degree is required.
Sources and how this was checked
Last checked 19 October 2026. Each fact carries a verbatim quote that is re-checked against the live page. Research methodology.
Sources (checked 19 October 2026)