Academic Preparation & Prerequisite Courses

Academic Preparation & Prerequisites Courses

No specific undergraduate program or major is required or preferred for admission into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. Applicants may select majors and schools on the basis of interest and aptitude as long as prerequisites are fulfilled. Prerequisites may also be completed after earning a bachelor's degree. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university is required prior to matriculation.

Prerequisite Guidelines

Admission to the School of Veterinary Medicine requires completion of specific prerequisite courses taken at a regionally accredited college or university. Courses and labs may be taken online. All courses need to have a C or higher to be accepted (a C- is not accepted). Additional guidelines:

  • All but the three upper division courses (biochemistry, genetics, and physiology) can be taken at a community college.
  • Students may apply after 75% of the prerequisites have been completed (approx. three courses may be pending at the time application is submitted). Remaining prerequisites must be completed in the spring semester/quarter prior to matriculation in the fall.
  • No credits are accepted for military experience, CLEP exams, DSST exams, or vocational school coursework.
  • AP credit is accepted based on the credit awarded by the student's institution.
  • Prerequisite courses do not expire.

Required Prerequisite Courses

Lower Division Courses

All sequence requirements must include the required content necessary as indicated in the UC Davis Undergraduate course descriptions below.

  • COLLEGE PHYSICS (two semesters or two/three quarters depending on sequence content coverage; no lab required) Recommended trigonometry or calculus/pre-calculus as a prerequisite to course.
  • GENERAL BIOLOGY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)
  • GENERAL CHEMISTRY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)
  • ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (two semesters or two quarters with one lab total)
  • STATISTICS (one semester or quarter; can be lower or upper division)
     

Upper Division Courses

  • BIOCHEMISTRY w/ METABOLISM (one semester or quarter) Note, if the biochemistry course is offered in a two semester sequence, both may be needed to meet the content requirement.
  • GENETICS (one semester or quarter)
  • SYSTEMIC PHYSIOLOGY (one semester or quarter; animal or human). If taking a combined anatomy & physiology course, it will only be accepted if it is 1) upper division and 2) part of a two-course sequence.

NOTE: All upper division courses must be completed at the upper division level at a four-year college. They may not be completed at a community college. Lower division courses are not accepted.

Where to Take Prerequisites

Institution not listed in the database?

Please submit a Prerequisite Substitution Request Form for course approval. Submit one for each of the three upper-division courses. 

Lower division required courses do not require approval unless the course title or sequence is not clearly reflective of the course content. 

Each institution in the database has an articulation agreement listing the equivalent courses offered at that college or university. No articulation agreements exist for statistics as we will accept ANY course in statistics (business, medical, psychology, etc.).

All prerequisite courses are based on the UC Davis undergraduate courses and course series, as listed below. Equivalent courses at other institutions may be found in our prerequisites database, listed alphabetically by institution name. Most California public colleges are listed within the database as are a few out-of-state institutions. Students should complete the series/sequence for prerequisite courses (all semester or all quarter). Do not combine semesters and quarters. 

Students should review the 'Where to Take Prerequisites' section. If an articulation agreement does not exist for the institution where courses have been or will be taken, the course descriptions below should be used as a guide for finding comparable courses.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they have taken the appropriate prerequisite courses to be admitted to the DVM program. Use the course descriptions as stated below as a guide for what each prerequisite course should entail.


UC Davis Undergraduate Courses

  • COLLEGE PHYSICS (two semesters or two/three quarters depending on sequence content coverage, no lab) Recommended trigonometry or calculus/pre-calculus as a prerequisite. 

  • PHY 1A, 1B or PHY 7A, 7B, 7C* (three quarters may be necessary for some sequences to meet content requirements)

    PHY 1A Principles of Physics
    Description: Mechanics. Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics with emphasis on applications in applied agricultural and biological sciences and in physical education.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s).

    PHY 1B Principles of Physics 
    Description: Continuation of PHY 001A. Heat, optics, electricity, modern physics.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s).

    PHY 7A General Physics 
    Description: Introduction to general principles and analytical methods used in physics for students majoring in a biological science.
    Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s).

    PHY 7B General Physics 
    Description: Continuation of PHY 007A. Physics 7B is most like the first quar­ter or semester of traditionally taught courses which treat classical mechanics.
    Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s).

    PHY 7C General Physics* 
    Description: Continuation of PHY 007B. Physics 7C is most like the last quarter or semester which, in traditionally taught courses, treats optics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics.
    Details: Lecture—1.5 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—5 hour(s).

    *Third quarter is required as of the 2024-25 admissions cycle.

  • GENERAL BIOLOGY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)

  • BIO123 Series focuses on adaptation, heredity, ecology, evolution (BIO1); metabolism, DNA structure, and cell biology (BIO2); and challenges of multicellular life with evolved adaptations (BIO3). *Replacing BIS 2A, 2B, and 2C

    BIO1: Ecology and Evolution + BIO1L Lab in Ecology and Evolution
    This course introduces the foundational principles of ecology and evolution, emphasizing the role of natural selection in the biological sciences. Topics include population and community ecology, ecosystems, species interactions, natural selection, population genetics, speciation, phylogenetics ("tree-thinking"), and the history of life on Earth.
    Details: 5 Units total: 3 lecture, 1 discussion; and 1 lab course

    BIO2: Molecules to Cells + BIO2L Lab in Molecular and Cell Biology
    Description: Students learn about basic molecular and cellular biology, including metabolism, the molecular basis of inheritance, cell structure, and bacterial diversity. Topics include photosynthesis, glycolysis, fermentation, and the synthesis and breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Basic bacterial diversity is also introduced.
    Details: 5 Units total: 3 lecture, 1 discussion; and 1 lab course

    BIO3: Integrated Organismal Biology 
    Description: Builds on BIO1 and BIO2 to address how diverse organisms (plant, animal, and fungal) solve life’s challenges through physiological, morphological, behavioral, and other adaptations and strategies. Topics include multicellularity and cell communication, cell organization into tissues and organs, and examples of how organisms across the tree of life address challenges such as sensing and responding to the abiotic and biotic environment, acquiring resources, maintaining homeostasis, preventing disease, and reproducing.
    Details: 4 Units: 3 lecture, 1 discussion

    *UC Davis has updated its undergraduate Biology (BIS) series, replacing BIS 2A, BIS 2B, and BIS 2C. Students who completed the previous BIS 2A/B/C series will still have those courses accepted toward the biology prerequisite requirement.

  • GENERAL CHEMISTRY (two semesters or three quarters with lab)

  • CHE 2A, 2B, 2C

    CHE 2A General Chemistry 
    Description: Periodic table, stoichiometry, chemical equations, physical properties and kinetic theory of gases, atomic and molecular structure and chemical bonding. Laboratory experiments in stoichiometric relations, properties and collection of gases, atomic spectroscopy, and introductory quantitative analysis.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—4 hour(s).

    CHE 2B General Chemistry 
    Description: Condensed phases and intermolecular forces, chemical thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, acids and bases, solubility. Laboratory experiments in thermochemistry, equilibria, and quantitative analysis using volumetric methods.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—4 hour(s).

    CHE 2C General Chemistry 
    Description: Kinetics, electrochemistry, spectroscopy, structure and bonding in transition metal compounds, application of principles to chemical reactions. Laboratory experiments in selected analytical methods and syntheses.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—4 hour(s).

  • ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (two semesters or two quarters with one lab)

  • CHE 8A, 8B or CHE 118A, 118B, 118C* or CHE 128A, 128B, 128C*
     

    CHE 8A Organic Chemistry: Brief Course 
    Description: With CHE 008B, an introduction to the nomenclature, structure, chemistry, and reaction mechanisms of organic compounds. Intended for students majoring in areas other than organic chemistry.
    Details: Lecture—2 hour(s).

    CHE 8B Organic Chemistry: Brief Course 
    Description: Laboratory concerned primarily with organic laboratory techniques and the chemistry of the common classes of organic compounds. Lecture portion a continuation of CHE 008A.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Laboratory—3 hour(s).

    CHE 118A Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences 
    Description: Rigorous, in-depth presentation of basic principles with emphasis on stereochemistry and spectroscopy and preparations and reactions of nonaromatic hydrocarbons, haloalkanes, alcohols and ethers.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Discussion/Laboratory—1.5 hour(s).

    CHE 118B Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences 
    Description: Continuation of CHE 118A, with emphasis on spectroscopy and the preparation and reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons, organometallic compounds, aldehydes and ketones.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Laboratory—3 hour(s).

    CHE 118C Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences* 
    Description: Continuation of CHE 118B, with emphasis on the preparation, reactions and identification of carboxylic acids and their derivatives, alkyl and acyl amines, ß-dicarbonyl compounds, and various classes of naturally occurring, biologically important compounds.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s); Laboratory—3 hour(s).
    *Third quarter in this series is suggested, but not required

    CHE 128A Organic Chemistry 
    Description: Introduction to the basic concepts of organic chemistry with emphasis on stereochemistry and the chemistry of hydrocarbons. Designed primarily for majors in chemistry. Chemistry majors should enroll in CHE 129A concurrently.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s).

    CHE 128B Organic Chemistry 
    Description: Continuation of CHE 128A with emphasis on the chemistry of alcohols, ethers, their sulfur analogs, and carbonyl compounds. Introduction to the application of spectroscopic methods to organic chemistry. Introduction to synthesis of moderately complex organic molecules.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s).

    CHE 128C Organic Chemistry*
    Description: Continuation of CHE 128B with emphasis on enolate condensations and the chemistry of amines, phenols, and sugars; selected biologically important compounds.
    Details: Lecture—3 hour(s).
    *Third quarter in this series is suggested, but not required

  • BIOCHEMISTRY w/ METABOLISM (one semester or quarter)
  • ABI 102 or BIS 103

    ABI 102 Animal Biochemistry & Metabolism 
    Description: Water and biological buffers; thermodynamics of metabolism; structure and function of biomolecules; enzyme kinetics and function; membrane biology; digestion and absorption; carbohydrate metabolism.
    Details: Lecture—4 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): (CHE 002A, CHE 002B, CHE 008A, CHE 008B) or (CHE 118A, CHE 118B). Not open for credit to students who have completed BIS 102

    BIS 103 Bioenergetics & Metabolism
    Description: Fundamentals of the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles in nature, including key reactions of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, and nucleotides, and of energy production and use in different types of organisms. Principles of metabolic regulation.
    Details: 1.5 units of credit for students who have completed BIS 105; 1 unit of credit if students who have completed ABI 103.
  • GENETICS (one semester or quarter)
  • BIS 101 Genes & Gene Expression
    Description: Nucleic acid structure and function; gene expression and its regulation; replication; transcription and translation; transmission genetics; molecular evolution.
    Details: Lecture—4 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): (BIS 002A C- or better, BIS 002B C- or better); (CHE 008A or CHE 118A or CHE 128A); (STA 013 or STA 013Y) or STA 100 or STA 102 or STA 130A); STA 100 preferred.
  • SYSTEMIC PHYSIOLOGY (one semester or quarter; animal or human)

  • ANS 100 or NPB 101 or NPB 110C
     

    ANS 100 Animal Physiology 
    Description: Basic principles of animal physiology in domesticated and captive animals with a comparative approach. Molecular, biochemical, chemical and physical aspects and their influences on function of physiological systems in animals.
    Details: Lecture—4 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): BIS 002A; CHE 002B. Pass One restricted to students in the Animal Science and Animal Science and Management majors.

    NPB 101 Systemic Physiology 
    Description: Systemic physiology with emphasis on aspects of human physiology. Functions of major organ systems, with the structure of those systems described as a basis for understanding the functions.
    Details: Lecture—5 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): BIS 002A; (CHE 002B or CHE 002BH); PHY 001B or PHY 007C strongly recommended.

    NPB 110C Foundations 3: Physiology
    Description: Focuses on the structure, function, and interactions of human and other animal organ systems in homeostasis and reproduction, and the response to perturbations of homeostasis; neural and endocrine signaling; skeletal muscle and movement; cardiovascular and respiratory systems; renal, digestive, immune, and reproductive physiology.
    Details: Lecture—4 hour(s); Discussion—1 hour(s). Prerequisite(s): NPB 110A C- or better; PHY 007A; PHY 007B and PHY 007C recommended. Open to declared NPB majors only.

  • STATISTICS  (one semester or one quarter; lower or upper division)
  • Statistics 13 or 100, or other acceptable UC Davis statistics courses in agricultural business,
    psychology, biology, etc., may be used to meet this requirement.