DVM and MDiv - Which one first?

[Austinn4]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi everyone, I am currently in a bit of a tie at the moment. I am interested in pursuing both a masters in divinity and a DVM. I know for a fact that I would like to pursue the DVM but I am unsure of wether I should do the MDiv before, after, or at all. I really enjoy theology and studying scripture and would like to be more involved in ministry and study it more (the depth that is covered in an MDiv). I did some general research and saw that there are some veterinarians out there with an MDiv.. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or any experience with it? Would doin an MDiv before veterinary school severely impact my chances of getting in? Thanks in advance!

 

[WildZoo]

I wouldn't think the MDiv would have much impact on your ability to get into vet school, as long as you have the prereqs and experiences and such and you're able to keep up with those while doing the program. How intensive of a program is the MDiv? If it's something you could do while working I would think that doing the DVM first would make sense so that you can be working as a vet/start the timeline on paying off loans while you're doing the MDiv. I don't have any personal experience with it though!

 

[JaynaAli]

Without knowing much about the curriculum for an MDiv, If getting the MDiv degree is important to you, I’d probably do that first. Depending on your veterinary job, it may be hard to find time (and money!) for MDiv coursework if you’re a full practicing veterinarian. Sure you could probably find a part time veterinary job (certainly in todays market you could), but that assumes you can get by on a part time salary and we don’t know what the future will look like both for you and for the profession. Demand may be different by the time you graduate. Sure you might have a job that leaves you plenty of time for courses in the evenings, but you might not. An MDiv could be a decent backup plan in case anything happened during vet school and you were unable to complete the program. I think as long as you can explain to programs why you want to be a vet instead of/in addition to a minister you’ll be fine.

With that said, I know many people who are deeply involved (both in paid full time positions and on a volunteer basis) in ministry without formal degrees. Obviously your religion/denomination may be different than mine, but to me, if you’re wanting your main career to be a veterinarian, you can do a lot of self study and online learning you’re interested in even without a formal degree. Pursuing a degree isn’t wrong by any means, but if I were in your shoes I would probably just do the DVM and seek out resources outside of a formal degree program for more in depth study as time allows you to do so.