Colorado State University veterinary program ranks third in nation

Contact for reporters:

Mary Guiden
mary.guiden@colostate.edu
(970) 491-6892

Watch a video about the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: https://col.st/mBidM

The Colorado State University Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program continues to be ranked No. 3 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report list.

Released today, the “2020 U.S. News Best Graduate Schools Rankings” ranks 28 veterinary education programs in the United States, through a survey of accredited peer institutions. The magazine publishes the list every four years, and the CSU program has held a spot among the top three vet schools in the country for at least two decades.

“We are training the next generation of veterinary professionals to go out and improve the health of animals, people and the planet,” said Dr. Mark Stetter, dean of CSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

In 2018, the college was instrumental in working with the state of Colorado to create a debt relief program that helps veterinarians who practice in rural areas. “Veterinary medicine plays an integral part in caring for livestock, horses, wildlife and pets, and by extension the environment they live in.”

Colorado State’s four-year DVM Program, founded in 1907, receives more than 2,000 applications for 148 spots per year. The first two years include comprehensive biomedical veterinary education and hands-on clinical experiences on CSU’s main campus, including animal handling, ethics, surgical techniques and communication.  Students in years three and four work side-by-side with exceptional clinicians through a series of specialty rotations at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which sees 42,000 patient visits per year. Students develop clinical skills and participate fully as team members in the care of client-owned animals.

The DVM Program offers student support in career developmentwellness and financial services. Students can also apply for admission to combined DVM programs in Animal ScienceMBA, Public Health, and research-based PhDs.

The college has partnered with the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Alaska Fairbanksin a collaborative veterinary training program that allows 10 students, with preference for Alaska residents, to complete the CSU DVM Program. Students attend veterinary medicine courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for the first two years and come to Colorado State University for their last two years. The first cohort of students entered the program in Fall 2015, and will graduate with their doctorates in veterinary medicine in May 2019.

In addition to the Alaska program, the vet school has expanded its unique learning opportunities, including veterinary partnerships with the Navajo Nation, the CSU Todos Santos Center in Mexico, and the Daktari Animal Hospital in Tokyo, Japan.

Looking to the future

The college is embarking on an ambitious era of expansion. Two new buildings, the C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute and the Health Education Outreach Center, have opened this year, and eight more construction projects are in the pipeline.

“These new facilities will further our mission to support innovative and dedicated teaching, research, outreach, and clinical service,” said Stetter, who has led the college since 2012. “We are proud to prepare future leaders to make an impact around the world.”