Dog being pet at pet wellness day at Houghton.

Pre-Veterinary

Preparing you for graduate work in veterinary medicine in a Christ-centered environment.

Houghton’s pre-veterinary program gives you a broad education while offering courses required for admission to veterinary medical colleges.

Veterinary colleges are looking for students with a well-rounded post-secondary education. They accept students without regard to their pre-professional majors and sometimes after three years or 90 hours of credit. Most applicants major in biology or chemistry and, on average, have more than 100 hours of pre-professional training.

There are relatively few veterinary colleges, therefore the number of students accepted each year into the pre-veterinary program is small. Accepted students demonstrate academic excellence and personal character, as well as familiarity with the profession.

Program Snapshot

Undergraduate Pre-Professional Pathway

Recommended Majors: Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry

Pre-Med Advisor: Jamie Potter

What will I learn?

Through Houghton’s Pre-Veterinary program you will gain hands-on experience as you:

  • Do science in your very first year in our hands-on, experiential program
  • Decide to travel to a developing country to study foundations of health development
  • Conduct, publish and present real research with one or more of Houghton University’s faculty members

Why study Pre-Veterinary Medicine at Houghton?

Personal Attention from Invested Faculty

Pre-vet students have many opportunities to get to know their professors on a personal level. Professors teach the labs as well as lectures instead of relying on teaching assistants. Class sizes are deliberately small to maximize interaction between faculty and students.

Be mentored, supported and cared for by invested faculty members who care about your academic success as well as your spiritual, emotional, and professional growth.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

At Houghton, we emphasize hands-on engagement in the field of biology. You'll be a scientist in the your first year of the general biology sequence. Explore open-ended problems that require critical thinking and intentional design, implementation and analysis. You can work in the field through off-campus study, practicums, internships and student-faculty research collaboration.

Undergraduate Research

As a pre-vet student, you'll do real research with one or more of the faculty at Houghton. Work towards publishing your findings in peer-reviewed journals or present talks and posters at regional and national conferences. Opportunities for research include, collaborative research in a biology course, independent study, senior honors projects, and or collaborative research with faculty (e.g., Shannon Summer Research Institute, Cornell University and the Sierra Nevada mountains of California)

Houghton students throwing their graduation caps in the air on the steps of the Chapel.

97%

of Houghton students are employed or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation.

Class of 2022

View Alumni Success and Career Outcomes

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Ready for what's next?

Discover if Pre-Veterinary at Houghton University is right for you.

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Questions?

Contact Undergraduate Admission

Email: admission@houghton.edu
Call 1-800-777-2556