College Administration

Jerry W. Ritchey, DVM, PhD, DACVP—Professor and Interim Dean
Jennifer Rudd, DVM, PhD, DACVM—Interim Associate Dean Academic and Student Affairs
Jerry Malayer, PhD—Sr. Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
Martin Furr, DVM, PhD, MA Ed, DACVIM—Assistant Dean for Professional Programs

Campus Address and Phone

Address: 205 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405.744.6648
Website: www.vetmed.okstate.edu

College of Veterinary Medicine

The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is the premier provider of animal care in the state of Oklahoma and for the region. The CVM provides quality educational opportunities to prepare our graduates for varied careers within the veterinary profession. The veterinary medical profession is rewarding, exciting, and one that touches the environment as well as the lives of humans and animals alike. The career options available to graduates with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree are as varied as the people who make veterinary medicine their life-long commitment. The College of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University offers a program designed to prepare new graduates for a variety of biomedical careers including private practice, post-DVM clinical training, research, industry, military, and government.

Mission: Innovation in animal and human health.
Vision: To be innovative world leaders in healthcare, research, and professional education.

---

Core Values:

• Communication: Understanding the importance of good communication for the proper functioning of the team and advancing our common goals.
• Integrity: We will demonstrate at all times, and expect of our colleagues, the highest standards of personal integrity. 
• Accountability: We will be accountable for our own actions, work, and words
• Teamwork: Understanding that a team is stronger than the sum of its parts, and that we perform better as a team.
• Leadership: Recognizing that we can all be leaders.

Accreditation

The College is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Accreditation is based on an assessment of 11 essential factors:  the college's organization, its finances, facilities and equipment, clinical resources, library and learning resources, enrollment, admissions, faculty, curriculum, continuing and post-graduate education, and research.

High School Preparation

Preparation for a career in veterinary medicine includes understanding the profession. Volunteering or working with a veterinarian is essential. Students should develop emotional maturity and become aware of how medical decisions include patient, client, and financial issues. Professionalism and ethics are fundamental for veterinarians. Although the OSU DVM Program does not use an applicant's high school information to determine eligibility, K-12 students are strongly encouraged to take advanced placement math and science classes to prepare for more difficult college level coursework.

Admission and Application Requirements

Earning a DVM degree requires dedication and hard work, but the rewards are returned for a lifetime. In general, students must complete three to four years of pre-veterinary undergraduate coursework followed by four years of a professional veterinary medical program.

Students can select any accredited college/university to complete their pre-veterinary coursework. Choosing an undergraduate major related to the student's interest in science and animals is advised. The College requires all applicants to be within 1 year of completing specific required courses to be eligible for application. Other factors can contribute to an applicant's eligibility to the Oklahoma State University DVM Program, so students are encouraged to review all eligibility requirements. 

Early Admission Program

Students pursuing careers in the health sciences often make their career decision prior to undergraduate enrollment. The goal of the Early Admission Program is to aid pre-veterinary students with strong academic ability and guide them in their pursuit of a veterinary medical career. The Early Admission Program strives to provide direction, mentorship, and provisional admission for students with superior academic achievement and interpersonal skills that are well-suited to the missions of the veterinary profession. The application opens August 1st to freshman enrolled in the fall in an Oklahoma Institution which confers bachelor's degrees. Eligible applicants must have recently graduated high school by the end of the spring semester prior to August 1st. 

Scholarships

The College has a variety of scholarships available to currently enrolled veterinary medical students. The scholarship application portal opens at the end of the fall semester.

Selection Factors

The Admissions Committee seeks to admit students with excellent records of academic achievement, in addition to backgrounds that help predict potential success in a variety of veterinary medical careers. Because the veterinary medical profession is constantly changing, the faculty supports the concept of achieving diversity in each entering class. The College of Veterinary Medicine typically admits 106 students annually of which 69 are Oklahoma residents and 37 are out-of-state.

In selecting applicants for admission, the Admissions Committee will consider both quantitative (grade point averages) and qualitative factors (veterinary experience, background, personal statement, and letters of recommendation).

The CVM requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation, one of which must come from a veterinarian. Strong applications will include letters of recommendation from individuals who have had recent working or mentorship experiences with the applicant. 

An out-of-state applicant's qualitative score is based on their application materials evaluated by members of the Admissions Committee. An in-state applicant's qualitative score is also based on their application materials in addition to a personal interview conducted by members of the Admissions Committee. Interviews are administered to in-state applicants by invitation only and not automatically granted. Personal interviews are not available for out-of-state applicants.

College Curriculum

The Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine offers a rigorous, hands-on curriculum designed to prepare students for the wide-ranging and evolving demands of the veterinary profession. Spanning four years, the program integrates foundational biomedical sciences with clinical training, emphasizing all common domestic species, especially companion, equine, and food animal medicine. From day one, students are immersed in real-world learning experiences through state-of-the-art facilities, clinical skills labs, and extensive exposure to primary care, specialty services, and rural veterinary practice. The curriculum also fosters critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and professional development to equip graduates for careers in private practice, public health, research, industry, and beyond. Through its comprehensive approach and commitment to excellence, the college ensures that graduates are not only clinically proficient but also compassionate, collaborative, and ready to serve both animals and society. 

Graduate Program

---

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Jerry R. Malayer, PhD—Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education

The comparative biomedical sciences (CBSC) graduate program is a multidisciplinary program intended to provide students with a broad base of research areas to address individual student interests. The program is administered within the College of Veterinary Medicine but may involve faculty from other colleges. Programs of research and study leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy are available within the broad areas of focus:  infectious diseases, pathobiology, and physiological sciences. The program is designed to prepare individuals for careers in teaching and research, and specialization is possible within each area dependent upon student and faculty interests and available funding.

Current areas of research focus include molecular, cell and developmental biology, clinical sciences (including laser applications and oncology); infectious and parasitic diseases (including vector-borne diseases, bacterial and viral diseases in wild and domestic animals); pathobiology; and toxicology. Faculty and their specific areas of interest are available through the graduate coordinator (cbsc@okstate.edu) or online at https://vetmed.okstate.edu/students/comparative-biomedical-sciences/index.html.

Prerequisites

Candidates for admission must possess a bachelor's degree or equivalent, with a background in biological or physical sciences. Although there are no absolute performance level requirements, applicants with GPAs of 3.0 (out of 4.0) or greater, will receive the strongest consideration.

The Master of Science Degree

The MS may be earned with 30 credit hours beyond a bachelor's degree or 21 hours beyond the DVM degree, including not more than six credit hours for the thesis. The plan of study is designed to meet the student's needs and interests and typically includes two credits of seminar, one course in statistics, and courses in molecular or cell biology and pathophysiology. The student must also pass a final oral examination covering the thesis and related course work.

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The PhD requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree or DVM degree, including up to 45 credit hours for research and dissertation. The plan of study is designed to meet the student's needs and interests and typically includes courses in cell and molecular biology, pathophysiology, statistics, and seminar. Written and oral qualifying examinations are required. Students must prepare a research proposal and complete and defend a dissertation based on original research.

Application Procedure

Applications are made to the Graduate College (http://gradcollege.okstate.edu/apply) and are accepted at any time; however, all documents should be received before March 15th for admission to the fall semester and August 15th for admission to the spring semester. Applicants are required to submit transcripts of all college-level work. International applicants are required to take an English proficiency exam, unless a student completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning at which English is the primary language of instruction, located in a country in which English is a recognized primary language. For students seeking graduate teaching assistantships, a score of 22 or greater on the speaking part of the internet-based TOEFL (ibT) or 7.0 on the speaking portion of the IELTS is required. In addition, the applicant will submit a statement of purpose stating their preparation for graduate study as well as how earning a graduate degree will further their educational and career goals and will have three persons knowledgeable of their preparation for graduate study write and submit letters of reference.

Information about faculty research interests is available upon request to the graduate coordinator (cbsc@okstate.edu). After acceptance to the graduate program, students select a major professor and an advisory committee and develop a plan of study consistent with the CBSC graduate program requirements and subject to the approval of the dean of the Graduate College.

Assistantships

A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available.

Internship and Residency Programs

Internships and residency programs in clinical medicine and surgery are offered through the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Residency programs in pathology are offered through the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology.