College of Veterinary Medicine

Graduate Education in the College of Veterinary Medicine

In addition to the professional DVM program, which prepares students to become veterinarians, the College of Veterinary Medicine offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Veterinary Medical Sciences to prepare students for careers in biomedical science. Specialized graduate study is available in the fields of Aquatic Animal Health and (via distance education) Forensic Toxicology.

The University of Florida is home to the state's only College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1976. The College currently has enrolled 320 professional students and over 140 graduate students. There are 95 faculty members who during the past year have attracted more than $12,000,000 in external research awards. The College maintains the largest aquatic animal health program among veterinary colleges worldwide. Other programs offered at the College include neurosceince, environmental toxicology, wildlife and zoo animal medicine, infectious diseases, reproduction, and clinical studies. Some of our research efforts concentrate on animal diseases that affect our food supply and diseases that affect horses. Other programs study diseases common to animals and man, comparative medicine, and where appropriate, diseases unique to humans.

Programs of Study

The College of Veterinary Medicine offers advanced graduate study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The professional DVM program is not a graduate degree program, and applications are handled separately from the graduate program.

Major areas of concentration in graduate study are administered by three departmental programs: Physiological Sciences, Infectious Diseases and Pathology, and Veterinary Medical Sciences (Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Small Animal Clinical Sciences tracks). Within these departmental programs, training includes appropriate course work and research in areas such as Comparative Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Animal Nutrition, Comparative Toxicology, Immunology, Pathology, Parasitology, Epidemiology, and Infectious Diseases. A cross-departmental training program exists for Aquatic Animal Health. This College also offers masters-level and graduate certification training in Forensic Toxicology by distance education. The certification option also may be pursued as an add-on to MS and PhD degrees earned in this and other University of Florida colleges.

The graduate program provides training in basic and applied veterinary medical research for qualified students with a baccalaureate degree or a D.V.M. or equivalent degree. Qualified individuals may pursue graduate training concurrently with the professional DVM degree or residency training in a clinical speciality. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in the biological sciences. Prerequisites for admission in addition to those of the Graduate School include a broad educational base of mathematics, physics, organic and analytical chemistry, genetics, physiology and statistical methods.

Completion of the M.S. degree program usually takes two years, and completion of the Ph.D. degree program usually takes four years. Certification in Forensic Toxicology involves completion of five specified courses totalling 15 graduate credits and takes least 12 months to complete. Interdisciplinary collaborative programs among the departments in the College and with other UF departments in the Health Science Center and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences provide the students with an excellent combination of educational programs. Graduate students plan their program with the advice and assistance of a Supervisory Committee made up of three to five graduate faculty.

The Veterinary Graduate Student Association Home Page provides a look at our graduate program as seen through the eyes of our own graduate students.

Financial Aid

Students are encouraged to seek external sources of financial aid. Several nationally competitive fellowship opportunities are available to qualified individuals. In addition, graduate students are eligible for a limited number of assistantships, fellowships, and other awards provided directly by the College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Florida. Several teaching assistantships and research assistantships are available from the College of Veterinary Medicine, and many faculty offer additional grant-funded research assistantships. These assistantships include an initial salary of $25,000 to $35,000 per year, depending on years of relevant experience, for those students holding the D.V.M. or equivalent degree. For other students, assistantships include an initial salary of $22,000 to $28,000 per year, depending on years of relevant experience. Supplemental fellowships over and above these amounts are available to students having exceptional credentials. Health insurance and tuition waivers are available for students on assistantships or fellowships. All students are required to pay nonacademic fees. For new students who may need a cash advance when arriving on campus, there is a graduate student revolving loan fund at the College.

How to Apply

Application for admission must be made as soon as possible before the beginning of the desired term of admission. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college, an average of B or better for the last two years of the baccalaureate program, and satisfactory scores on the general test of the GRE are required for admission. A catalog is available electronically or a printed version of the catalog and printed application forms may be obtained from the Director of Admissions, Registrar's Office, University of Florida, 201 Criser Hall, Gainesville, Florida 32611. However, electronic application for admission to graduate study in Veterinary Medical Sciences is now available and is the preferred method for making an application. If your web browser cannot handle forms, materials for a paper application may be downloaded and printed from the electronic application page.

Application Deadlines

Correspondence and Information

Dr. Charles H. Courtney, Associate Dean

Office of Research and Graduate Studies
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 100125
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 392-2213, ext 5100
e-mail:courtneyc@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu

Dr. Sheilah Robertson, Graduate Coordinator

Veterinary Medical Sciences Graduate Program (Large Animal)
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 100136
University of Florida
Gainesville FL 32610
(352) 392-2213, ext 5651
e-mail: robertsons@vetmed.ufl.edu

Dr. Maureen Long, Graduate Coordinator

Graduate Program in Infectious Diseases and Experimental Pathology
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 110880
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 392-2239, ex. 4026
e-mail: longm@vetmed.ufl.edu

Dr. Elliott Jacobson, Graduate Coordinator

Veterinary Medical Sciences Graduate Program (Small Animal)
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 100126
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 392-2226, ext 4773
e-mail: jacobsone@vetmed.ufl.edu

Dr. Roger Reep, Graduate Coordinator

Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences
Graduate Program in Aquatic Animal Health
Department of Physiological Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 100144
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32610
(352) 392-2246, ext 3859
e-mail: reep@mbi.ufl.edu