MVS Elective Track: Foundations of Veterinary Medicine
The Foundations of Veterinary Science elective track consists of 4 courses for a total of 12 credit hours. Students who have not attended veterinary school should consider this elective track. The four courses focus on the main concepts taught in the first year of veterinary school.
Students who successfully complete these four courses and do not continue for the MVS degree will receive a graduate certificate from the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Program Objectives
- Identify anatomical structures in different body systems and summarize similarities and differences between species.
- Identify and explain normal physiological systems in domestic animal species.
- Identify host defenses and summarize similarities and differences between body systems.
- Identify and explain tissue tropism and disease patterns of different veterinary pathogens
- Predict the presence, nature, and extent of structural or functional problems in a range of body systems.
- Predict which body systems will be targeted by pathogens, comparing primary and secondary pathological insults.
- Develop professional attitudes, outlooks, and competencies
“I didn’t feel like general animal science or microbiology were the right fit, and I really wanted to focus on veterinary sciences and challenge myself with a subject I love studying.”
Marissa Pietz, MVS Student
Who should take this elective track?
- Students considering going to veterinary school after completing the MVS degree program
- Professionals who are not veterinarians and want to gain more knowledge on anatomy, physiology, and animal health management
- Students on the path to veterinary school take animal health courses focusing on the concepts taught in the first year of veterinary school.
Learning Experience
Students who choose this elective track will be welcomed into a community of learners. Once a week, students will attend a live grand rounds session introducing a medical case. Dr. Brian Aldridge will lead grand rounds of discussions. Dr. Aldridge is an Associate Clinical Professor with an appointment in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Medicine and a program director for the Master of Veterinary Science and Foundations of Veterinary Science graduate certificate.
- Each student will be placed in a group to work through clinical case studies
- One instructor per 9 students
- Problem-Based Learning
- Guidance on resume and personal statements
- One-on-One Mentoring
Instructors will get to know their students and provide mentorship and career counseling to help each person apply the materials to the next step in their career. We also have a team of veterinary student mentors available.
What courses are in this elective track?
There are four courses within this elective track, each are 3 credit hours.
VCM 507 Veterinary Form and Function
3 Credit Hours
Students will gain foundational knowledge in anatomy and physiology, with an introduction to case-based thinking and the fundamentals of application, when assessing clinical or herd health problems at the systems level as required in approved courses for the Master of Veterinary Science and the graduate certificate
More detailed course information can be found here.
VCM 509 Biology of Veterinary Pathogens
3 Credit Hours
The course includes an overview of relevant veterinary microbiology and the interaction between microbes and their hosts. The course will build upon knowledge acquired in VCM 507, and relevant physiology pertaining to disease prevalence, prevention, and pathology will be discussed. The host immune system will be highlighted, and important bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites will be studied. Current and emerging pathogens, and the relevance of potential zoonotic spillovers into human populations will be discussion points.
More detailed course information can be found here.
VCM 513 Science of Homeostasis
3 Credit Hours
Students will develop an integrated, science-based approach to health problems by helping them understand how each organ system contributes to whole-body homeostasis. In this graduate-level course, students will be introduced to the concept that life is difficult – that individual animals and populations are continually exposed to internal and external hardships and to specific health challenges. To live healthy and productive lives, animals must resist and/or adapt to a wide range of health ordeals and difficulties. This ability or capacity of an individual to adapt to change and challenge is termed homeostasis and is a key concept in the design and implementation of health management strategies.
Prerequisites: VCM 509
More detailed course information can be found here.
VCM 514 Science of Health Evaluation
3 Credit Hours
Participants will apply their foundational knowledge of anatomy, physiology, immunology, microbiology, and pathology in evaluating and solving health failure problems in the major body systems. The graduate level course will use a problem-driven, case- based approach to train students how to apply the basic principles of health science in solving clinical problems in individual animals. Participants will learn to ask thoughtful, focused, and purposeful questions when collecting clinical data, and how to use a problem-oriented approach in evaluating health problems, constructing inquiry pathways, and in designing therapeutic and disease management strategies.
Prerequisites: VCM 513
More detailed course information can be found here.