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Major · Agricultural/animal/plant/veterinary Science

Building the prerequisites for veterinary school admission

Pre-Veterinary Studies (CIP 01.1302) prepares you for admission to a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. About 553 students complete it across 52 institutions, with five-year median bachelor’s earnings of $49,590 — but the credential is a launching pad: the DVM is the labor-market degree, not the bachelor’s.

Schools offering
52
Annual completions
553
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$50k

About this major

Pre-Veterinary Studies (CIP 01.1302) prepares you for admission to a professional program in veterinary medicine. The CIP definition is short and explicit — the credential is structured around the prerequisites veterinary schools require: general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, physics, mathematics or statistics, English composition, and frequently animal nutrition, microbiology, or genetics. At many institutions Pre-Vet functions as an advising track atop an Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901) or biology major; at the 52 institutions that label the bachelor’s under 01.1302 specifically, it’s a structured prerequisite-focused program with additional animal-science breadth.

The major fits students committed to applying to a DVM program — typically with the seriousness that commitment requires: strong science aptitude across organic chemistry and biochemistry, a willingness to accumulate 1,000+ hours of clinical and hands-on experience across small-animal, large-animal, and exotic settings before applying, and the patience to navigate a multi-cycle process if the first application doesn’t land. Because the credential is a launching pad rather than a destination, the major rewards students who treat the bachelor’s as scaffolding for the application portfolio, GPA, and downstream professional-school decision.

One grounded observation about scale and structure: 553 students complete this CIP across 52 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning a five-year median of $49,590 — a figure that reflects a heterogeneous mix of vet-school students still in training (whose stipends and resident wages stay low at year 5), pivots into vet-tech roles after AAS retraining (SOC 29-2056, ~$43K median), animal-pharma sales, USDA APHIS positions, and lab-animal tech roles. The careers list is intentionally empty because the next step is DVM school, not direct labor-market entry. Top producers span large public-ag universities (University of Findlay 84 completions, University of Arizona 81, Penn State Main 80, UMass Amherst 77, University of Delaware 68) and feed into the 33 AVMA-accredited US vet schools (Cornell, UC-Davis, Colorado State, Penn, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, NC State, Tufts, Iowa State, Auburn). Sibling pre-professional CIPs include Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies (51.1102, 1,018 completions) and Pre-Pharmacy Studies (51.1103, 176) — adjacent gateway credentials with similar matriculation logic.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$50k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re committed to applying to DVM school and you’ve thought through the 7- to 11-year arc to attending-veterinarian status; you’re strong in biology and chemistry, particularly organic chemistry and biochemistry, and you can hold a 3.5+ science GPA through the prerequisite sequence; you have or will build 1,000+ hours of hands-on experience across small-animal, large-animal, and exotic settings before applying, and you’re willing to do that work outside of class; you’ve confirmed your institution publishes its DVM-school matriculation rate and offers strong pre-vet advising and shadow-hour mentoring; and you’re realistic about competing for one of the 33 AVMA-accredited US seats rather than assuming admission.

Reasons to pause: per-applicant DVM acceptance is ~50% and the structural bottleneck is tighter than medical school, so plan for plan B explicitly — Veterinary Technology (CIP 51.0808) is a different credentialing pathway entirely (AAS-level, RVT/CVT/LVT licensure, ~$43K median) and not just a fallback you walk into with a Pre-Vet bachelor’s. Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901) is the more honest labor-market sibling for ag-industry, livestock, nutrition, and extension roles. The DVM debt-to-income picture is harder than human medicine: $200,000+ cumulative debt against $90,000-$110,000 new-grad GP salaries (specialists $130,000-$180,000 after a one-year internship plus residency). The bachelor’s itself is not a labor-market destination — the year-5 median ($49,590) reflects training stipends and pivot roles rather than post-licensure veterinarian income. If your interest is animals broadly but not specifically clinical practice, consider zoology, conservation biology, or animal physiology (26.0707) as alternatives that don’t require professional school to be useful.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Pre-Veterinary Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
The University of Findlay Findlay, OH 0 84 84
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 0 81 81
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 80 80
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA 0 77 77
University of Delaware Newark, DE 0 68 68
University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV 0 29 29
Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 0 19 19
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 0 19 19
Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO 0 13 13
Itawamba Community College Fulton, MS 11 0 11
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Pre-Nursing Studies

2,197 completions/yr

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

1,018 completions/yr

Pre-Law Studies

520 completions/yr

Pre-Physical Therapy Studies

255 completions/yr

Pre-Pharmacy Studies

176 completions/yr

Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies

122 completions/yr

Pre-Occupational Therapy Studies

93 completions/yr

Pre-Architecture Studies

76 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Is Pre-Veterinary Studies a real major, or a track inside something else?
At most institutions, Pre-Vet is an advising designation rather than a standalone major — students typically major in animal science, biology, biochemistry, or zoology while completing the prerequisites veterinary schools require (general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, statistics, English, and frequently animal nutrition or microbiology). At the 52 institutions that classify the bachelor’s under CIP 01.1302 specifically, the program is structured around those prerequisites with additional animal-science breadth. Either way, the credential targets DVM admission rather than direct labor-market entry.
Why is the careers list empty for this major?
Pre-Veterinary Studies is by design a gateway to DVM school, not a labor-market destination. The CIP doesn’t map cleanly to specific BLS occupations because the credential targeted role — veterinarian — requires the doctoral DVM degree, not the bachelor’s. Students who don’t matriculate into vet school typically work in adjacent roles tied to whatever science prerequisites they completed: veterinary technician (after AAS-level credentialing), lab animal technician, animal-pharma sales, USDA APHIS or state agriculture extension, animal welfare or shelter management, or research coordinator while reapplying or pivoting.
How competitive is veterinary school admission compared to medical school?
There are only 33 AVMA-accredited US veterinary schools versus roughly 155 US medical schools, so the structural bottleneck is tighter for vet than for human medicine. Per-applicant acceptance rates run around 50%, but most matriculants apply to multiple schools and many are repeat applicants. Admission committees weigh science GPA (typically 3.5+), overall GPA (3.5+), shadowing and hands-on hours across small-animal, large-animal, and exotic settings (often 1,000+ hours), letters of recommendation, and personal statement. The GRE is now optional at most schools post-2020, but the experience-hours requirement is what catches most applicants off guard.
What happens if I don’t get into DVM school?
Plan for it explicitly. Common labor-market pivots are Veterinary Technologist/Technician (SOC 29-2056, ~$43K median, but typically requires AAS-level retraining and RVT/CVT/LVT licensure rather than a bachelor’s), animal pharmaceutical sales, animal welfare or shelter management, USDA APHIS or Wildlife Services, state agriculture extension, and lab animal technician (often AALAS-certified). Some students pivot graduate-school-ward to zoology, ecology, or conservation master’s programs, or to Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901) for ag-industry roles. A few apply to international vet schools (Caribbean, UK, Australia), but the debt and licensure complexity of those routes deserves serious scrutiny.
What does the DVM debt-to-income picture actually look like?
Vet school tuition averages around $200,000+ in cumulative debt for in-state programs and substantially more for out-of-state or international ones. New-grad starting salaries run $90,000-$110,000 for general-practice associate veterinarians and $130,000-$180,000 for board-certified specialists after a one-year internship plus three- to four-year residency. The debt-to-income ratio is harder than human medicine because veterinarian incomes never reach physician levels. For undergrads doing Pre-Vet, this matters: the bachelor’s plus DVM plus optional residency is a 7- to 11-year arc with debt that pressures specialty choice and geographic flexibility for years.
How does this differ from Animal Sciences, General or Veterinary Technology?
Pre-Veterinary Studies (01.1302) targets DVM admission and treats the bachelor’s as scaffolding for that next step. Animal Sciences, General (CIP 01.0901) overlaps in coursework but is a labor-market major in its own right — graduates go into livestock production, ag extension, animal nutrition, breed management, and ag-industry roles without assuming professional school. Veterinary/Animal Health Technology (CIP 51.0808) is a different credentialing pathway entirely: it’s the AAS-level route to becoming a Registered/Certified/Licensed Veterinary Technician (the clinical assistants who work alongside DVMs) with state licensure and a roughly $43K median. Animal Physiology (26.0707) is more research-oriented, often a feeder for graduate research rather than clinical practice. Choose by what you want at age 30, not what sounds adjacent today.