Professional doctorate
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Western University of Health Sciences · College of Veterinary Medicine · Pomona, California, United States
- Official award
- Doctor of Veterinary MedicineDVM
- Pathway
- Veterinary medicineStated for United States
- Format
- On campusFour-year curriculum
- Tuition
- $71,170per year, 2026-2027 academic year
About this program
Four-year problem-based-learning curriculum with hands-on clinical training from year one, third-year rotations in veterinary practices and facilities, and an optional DVM/MPH dual degree with the University of Minnesota.
- Subject
- Veterinary medicine
- Department
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- 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 college describes its DVM curriculum as covering wellness, primary and tertiary care for food animal, equine and companion animal practice.“Your education will include not only wellness care, primary and tertiary care, but also client communication, collegial exchange, and business training.”Source
- Prior degree required
- No
| Route | Duration | Credits | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| After pre-veterinary coursework | four-year curriculum | – | Prerequisite courses; a BS or BA is not required but will likely strengthen the application; minimum overall GPA 2.75 and science GPA 3.0Source |
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: Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, California) DVM program as listed by the AVMA COE; last evaluation 2019, next evaluation 2026 (as printed)
Study structure
- Delivery
- On campusTaught at the listed campus.
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration
- Four-year curriculum
- Clinical components
- Years 1-2: wellness-centre and ambulatory community-service experience plus large-animal and equine facility training; year 3: rotations through veterinary practices and facilities
- Laboratory work
- Animals are not harmed for educational purposes; surgery is taught with models, simulations and apprenticeships
- Intakes
- Not published
- Campus
- WesternU California Campus (College of Veterinary Medicine)309 E. Second St., Pomona, CA 91766-1854
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 required500 hours of hands-on animal-related experience: at least 300 hours by the application deadline and 500 hours by July 31 of the matriculation year.
- Interview
- Interview required
- Previous qualification
- Minimum overall GPA 2.75 and science GPA 3.0 at application; prerequisites completed with C or higher (C- not accepted)
- Science prerequisites
- Organic chemistry with lab, biochemistry, statistics, microbiology, upper-division physiology, genetics or molecular biology and upper-division biological and life sciences; online or virtual labs generally not accepted
- Prior degree
- Bachelor's degree not required
- Documents
- VMCAS primary application; letters of recommendation submitted to VMCAS, at least one from a licensed veterinarian
- Official instructions
- Application instructions
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.
| Item | Amount | Applies to | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition (each of the four years; 2026-2027 student budget)Tuition · mandatory | $71,170per year, 2026-2027 academic year | Tuition, first to fourth year | 19 October 2026Source |
| Estimated total tuition and fees, first year (includes student body, student service and lab fees and health insurance)Other compulsory charge · mandatory | $78,127per year, 2026-2027 academic year, first year | Estimated Total Tuition and Fees, first year | 19 October 2026Source |
No total is shown: the sources do not state a whole-program figure and the published duration and fee basis do not support a calculation.
Scholarships and funding
Funding is shown with its basis and who it is for. Competitive funding is not a guarantee.
WesternU recruitment scholarships (no separate application) Scholarship
Competitive
Eligibility: Based on the strength of the admissions application and interview and community contributions
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: intakes, clinical placement details.
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)