What education do you need to become a veterinarian?
In the United States you must obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree from one of 28 accredited colleges of veterinary medicine in the country. Admission to these colleges is very competitive, and you must complete at least three years of undergraduate college before you can apply to a vet school.
Outside of the United States you must complete 6-8 years of post-secondary education; the exact structure of the curriculum, the time frame and the name of the degree vary slightly depending upon the educational system of the individual country.
Regardless of the school you attend, you will be studying subjects ranging from communication skills to epidemiology to anatomy and physiology to molecular biology. Also, a veterinarian is typically trained on all major domestic species in their country of training; a veterinarian who wants to specialize further into either minor or non-domesticated species (such as reptiles or birds) would likely continue with additional training in that field after graduation from vet school.
