February 12th, 2018

About the Program

The College of Veterinary Medicine, through the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, offers graduate work leading to the master of science degree in veterinary biomedical sciences with an emphasis in veterinary medicine and surgery. In addition, faculty within the department offer supervision for doctoral and postdoctoral study and research. Many but not all graduate students in this area of study combine their graduate degree training with clinical residency programs leading to board certification in some specialty field within veterinary medicine.

Types of Study

The program provides advanced training in anesthesiology, comparative cardiology, equine, food animal and companion animal medicine and surgery, neurology, oncology, comparative ophthalmology, radiation oncology, radiology, nutrition, and theriogenology among other areas.

Admission Criteria (Campus Program)

Fall deadline: December 15
Spring deadline: September 15

• Completion of a bachelor’s or professional degree
• Identification of a mentor with graduate faculty standing within the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
• Identification of funding (with advice of mentor) for the period of research and study
• Perceived likelihood of successful completion of the program by the VMS graduate committee based on the match of candidate and faculty advisors, academic qualifications of the candidate, and when requested, a minimum of 3 suitable letters of recommendation

Minimum GRE score

Test Type	Total	Verbal	Quantitative
GRE	292	146	146

• GRE is only required for applicants who are not employed in a MU VMS Veterinary Residency Program and can be waived for applicants who are employed in a MU VMS Veterinary Residency Program
• Minimum scores should be considered as guidelines not a guarantee of admission

Minimum Language Requirements

Click here to view the minimum English language proficiency test scores

The majority of MS students within our program are completing specialty residency training programs in some field of veterinary medicine simultaneously with the MS degree. Admission to these programs generally precedes admission to our graduate programs. The GRE requirement may be waived for exceptional students by the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Departmental Research and Graduate School Committee. Applicants may be asked to strengthen any deficiencies in prerequisites to the chosen area of concentration through enrollment in a post- or non-degree graduate student program.

Required Application Materials

For the Graduate School

• Completed Graduate School online application
• Unofficial Transcripts- As part of the application submission process, all applicants are required to upload unofficial copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the online application. Official transcripts are only required if accepted by the academic program.
• Official Results of English Proficiency Exams (International applicants only)

For the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Emphasis Program

• GRE scores (Required for applicants who are not employed in a MU VMS Veterinary Residency program and can be waived for applicants who are employed in a MU VMS Veterinary Residency Program)
• Three letters of recommendation