Masters programs/Post Bacc that look good for vet school application?

[goldejal]

Hello,

Backgroud: I am going into my last year of college and trying to apply for my next academic step. Currently, I have four years of laboratory research experience dealing with ticks, PCR, and protein expression. However, I would like to pursue a career in wildlife medicine. I am going to graduate with a bachelor's double major in wildlife sciences and entomology, with a certificate in public health entomology.

I am most likely going to be graduating with a 2.7-2.9 GPA, which is pretty low for vet school. I am also lacking in my hands on animal experience.

Questions: I would like to know what master's degree programs would look good on a vet school application? What masters programs would boost my animal hands on experience and show that I am capable of handling vigorous science courses? Are there any masters programs affiliated with zoos?

I also do not know that much about post-baccalaureate programs. What would be a good post-baccalaureate program to look into if I am trying to improve my GPA and get hands on animal experience? Do post-baccalaureate programs lead into masters degree programs? How long does a post-baccalaureate program take?

Thank you, for take my questions into consideration.

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[mht2k3]

Have you already completed most of the pre-req courses needed to apply to vet school? If you have, a postbac program really wont be necessary for you. In that case I would just pick some hard science masters program you are interested in (animal science, biology, biochem, etc).

If you haven't completed most of the pre-requisite courses, then you might want to skip the masters and just take the pre-reqs. You dont need to be part of a structured postbac program, you just need to take all the classes that are required by the schools you are interested in applying to.

You will also need quite a bit of veterinary experience before applying to vet school. Do you have any experience currently working/shadowing under the supervision of a veterinarian? If not, you will need to obtain quite a bit of that before applying to vet school.

 

[Osudairy]

I agree with mht. Have you already completed your pre-req's for veterinary school? If not, I agree that you should try completing the pre-req's first. If you have them done already, you might also want to just retake some courses that you did not do so well in rather than devoting your time to an advanced degree.

On another note, if you really want to pursue a graduate degree, I would suggest master's in public health (MPH) or a thesis-based program in animal science to help you. I am completing a MS in animal science before veterinary school in August and, IMO, I would say it helped my application. A master's is a ton of extra work and devotion and takes around 2 years to complete with summers included (at least mine did). I would strongly suggest asking yourself if you can retake courses to improve your GPA if you are only looking into an advanced degree to get into veterinary school.

 

[battie]

I also want to point out that at least one school does not look at graduate level courses. K-State will only take undergrad credits into account. So if you have a list of schools you would like to apply to, I would look into whether or not a master's program will be beneficial in the first place.

 

[Osudairy]

I also want to point out that at least one school does not look at graduate level courses. K-State will only take undergrad credits into account. So if you have a list of schools you would like to apply to, I would look into whether or not a master's program will be beneficial in the first place.

Good catch. I totally forgot to mention that.

 

[vetmedUCDavis2019]

Hello,

Backgroud: I am going into my last year of college and trying to apply for my next academic step. Currently, I have four years of laboratory research experience dealing with ticks, PCR, and protein expression. However, I would like to pursue a career in wildlife medicine. I am going to graduate with a bachelor's double major in wildlife sciences and entomology, with a certificate in public health entomology.

I am most likely going to be graduating with a 2.7-2.9 GPA, which is pretty low for vet school. I am also lacking in my hands on animal experience.

Questions: I would like to know what master's degree programs would look good on a vet school application? What masters programs would boost my animal hands on experience and show that I am capable of handling vigorous science courses? Are there any masters programs affiliated with zoos?

I also do not know that much about post-baccalaureate programs. What would be a good post-baccalaureate program to look into if I am trying to improve my GPA and get hands on animal experience? Do post-baccalaureate programs lead into masters degree programs? How long does a post-baccalaureate program take?

Thank you, for take my questions into consideration.

I would recommend MS/MA over post-bacc. A lot of masters programs leave time for research, so your schedule is open to nestling in the prerequisites. Also, you can work with the program leaders and double dip your courses. I took all my required anatomy/physiology and biochemistry required for vet school and applied it towards my masters degree. Lastly, some schools waved my pre-requisites because I had a bachelors. Speaking of K-state, they actually waved a lot of my courses and accepted all my courses that I took during my masters, so not sure where that original advice stems. Davis accepted my lower division genetics courses and a few other school waved my English course requirements all together. Lastly , you will walk away with a degree on top of your bachelors. A post-bacc only improves your current degree standing.

I am a zoo/aquarium track at UC Davis and I too was looking into zoo masters programs, but they are fairly limited. Pick something that you enjoy and you will excel in the program. The biggest thing I've learned in vet school is how lucrative the DVM can be, so don't worry that you aren't fitting the cookie cutter veterinary application. Many of my classmates have stories of being architects, actors, etc.

This is the only route to vet school, but it worked for me and I was happy with my decisions.

 

[battie]

Speaking of K-state, they actually waved a lot of my courses and accepted all my courses that I took during my masters, so not sure where that original advice stems.

It stems from an e-mail exchange I had directly with Dr. Elmore. I asked, "My next question is, would it be more beneficial for me to simply retake those courses I got Cs in or to go into a Master's program. There are several that I am considering, but retaking the pre-requisites would be cheaper and if a Master's would not be beneficial, I do not want to spend the money or the time going through it, particularly since I would have to move." He replied with, "The only way to improve your science GPA is to retake some of our science prerequisites. Taking graduate level courses will not make you more competitive for our program. Our science prerequisites are the foundation for our curriculum."

 

[goldejal]

Have you already completed most of the pre-req courses needed to apply to vet school? If you have, a postbac program really wont be necessary for you. In that case I would just pick some hard science masters program you are interested in (animal science, biology, biochem, etc).

If you haven't completed most of the pre-requisite courses, then you might want to skip the masters and just take the pre-reqs. You dont need to be part of a structured postbac program, you just need to take all the classes that are required by the schools you are interested in applying to.

You will also need quite a bit of veterinary experience before applying to vet school. Do you have any experience currently working/shadowing under the supervision of a veterinarian? If not, you will need to obtain quite a bit of that before applying to vet school.

I will have all the necessary perquisites for vet school when I graduate with my bachelor's degree.

 

[Osudairy]

I will have all the necessary perquisites for vet school when I graduate with my bachelor's degree.

In that case, I would still suggest retaking your courses that you didn't do as well in to maybe get that GPA up. However, if you are heart set on doing an advanced degree, I would still suggest a thesis based master's or MPH, but it is a big investment. I will caution that I personally know some faculty here shy away from students applying for a master's to use to gain entrance into veterinary school.

 

[vetmedUCDavis2019]

It stems from an e-mail exchange I had directly with Dr. Elmore. I asked, "My next question is, would it be more beneficial for me to simply retake those courses I got Cs in or to go into a Master's program. There are several that I am considering, but retaking the pre-requisites would be cheaper and if a Master's would not be beneficial, I do not want to spend the money or the time going through it, particularly since I would have to move." He replied with, "The only way to improve your science GPA is to retake some of our science prerequisites. Taking graduate level courses will not make you more competitive for our program. Our science prerequisites are the foundation for our curriculum."

Ahh yes, I see the confusion. The admissions advisor is correct that the core classes are required to attend the school and you they will look and calculate these grades into your GPA. However, they don't care if the courses are taken during a graduate degree or during a post-bach. I was able to mix and match my application requirements with my masters curriculum.

Going back to the original question goldejal, I think both opportunities will give you the same end point. But in my experience, I felt my masters gave me time to mature and even gave me an edge for my applications and interviews. In most of my interviews the subject of my thesis came into conversation and one of the admission members even worked with my professor. Also, several opportunities have arisen during vet school strictly because I had the previous masters under my belt. Keep an open mind and work hard and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Osudairy]

I felt my masters gave me time to mature and even gave me an edge for my applications and interviews.

This is true. It would be lying if I said it didn't help me.

 

[Jess Monster]

Hello,

Backgroud: I am going into my last year of college and trying to apply for my next academic step. Currently, I have four years of laboratory research experience dealing with ticks, PCR, and protein expression. However, I would like to pursue a career in wildlife medicine. I am going to graduate with a bachelor's double major in wildlife sciences and entomology, with a certificate in public health entomology.

I am most likely going to be graduating with a 2.7-2.9 GPA, which is pretty low for vet school. I am also lacking in my hands on animal experience.

Questions: I would like to know what master's degree programs would look good on a vet school application? What masters programs would boost my animal hands on experience and show that I am capable of handling vigorous science courses? Are there any masters programs affiliated with zoos?

I also do not know that much about post-baccalaureate programs. What would be a good post-baccalaureate program to look into if I am trying to improve my GPA and get hands on animal experience? Do post-baccalaureate programs lead into masters degree programs? How long does a post-baccalaureate program take?

Thank you, for take my questions into consideration.

Honestly, your GPA will make things difficult even with grad school admissions. I suggest you talk to a graduate studies chair in whatever master's programs you're interested in. Most of the master's programs I've done or looked into require at least a 3.0 in undergraduate coursework so you'll need to check around.

Don't think of a master's as something to improve a vet school application. That doesn't make you sound like a serious student and graduate school admissions people will pick up on that. Think of them as specialized two year degrees that provide more education and training in a subject you're interested in - a career field you would actually work in or an education that would highly complement whatever veterinary field you want to pursue.

MPH: This is a great two year professional degree. Sadly, they're largely unfunded (i.e. be prepared for $20,000+ in loans). The silver lining to that is many schools will not be as strict with their required undergrad GPA's since they're not funding you. There are also lots of colleges that offer MPH's which may include night classes or online classes so you might still be able to work near full time while earning that degree. There are also programs that offer specializations in things like veterinary public health which will provide you with coursework more suited toward the future pursuit of veterinary medicine. My caveat for MPH programs is this: you will be required to learn the ins and outs of practicing public health which often means taking classes that are primarily human-centered and deal with chronic diseases, healthcare laws, and health behaviors that may not be interesting to you.

I entered my MPH with an undergrad minor in public health so I had a good idea of what I was getting into course content wise. Most of my fellow pre-vet peers did not have any public health background so some never finished the program and many dropped the MPH once they were admitted to vet school. My program was small and competitive and each instance of that happening was frustrating to the administrator who had hand selected these people.

MS: There are lots of options in Master of Science degrees that include studying arthropods, wildlife, domestic animals, veterinary medicine, etc. There are thesis based degrees and non-thesis based degrees. Most programs are set up to be completed in two years. I'm currently looking at doing a MS Entomology degree that has both degree options and is fully funded either way. As for zoo related degrees, the AZA recommends these programs. Most are affiliated with an AZA accredited zoo.

Something else to keep in mind, even if you get a 4.0 in a master's program, your cumulative and science GPA's might still not be competitive enough for vet school. Do you have a backup plan?

 

[vetmedUCDavis2019]

Honestly, your GPA will make things difficult even with grad school admissions. I suggest you talk to a graduate studies chair in whatever master's programs you're interested in. Most of the master's programs I've done or looked into require at least a 3.0 in undergraduate coursework so you'll need to check around.

Don't think of a master's as something to improve a vet school application. That doesn't make you sound like a serious student and graduate school admissions people will pick up on that. Think of them as specialized two year degrees that provide more education and training in a subject you're interested in - a career field you would actually work in or an education that would highly complement whatever veterinary field you want to pursue.

MPH: This is a great two year professional degree. Sadly, they're largely unfunded (i.e. be prepared for $20,000+ in loans). The silver lining to that is many schools will not be as strict with their required undergrad GPA's since they're not funding you. There are also lots of colleges that offer MPH's which may include night classes or online classes so you might still be able to work near full time while earning that degree. There are also programs that offer specializations in things like veterinary public health which will provide you with coursework more suited toward the future pursuit of veterinary medicine. My caveat for MPH programs is this: you will be required to learn the ins and outs of practicing public health which often means taking classes that are primarily human-centered and deal with chronic diseases, healthcare laws, and health behaviors that may not be interesting to you.

I entered my MPH with an undergrad minor in public health so I had a good idea of what I was getting into course content wise. Most of my fellow pre-vet peers did not have any public health background so some never finished the program and many dropped the MPH once they were admitted to vet school. My program was small and competitive and each instance of that happening was frustrating to the administrator who had hand selected these people.

MS: There are lots of options in Master of Science degrees that include studying arthropods, wildlife, domestic animals, veterinary medicine, etc. There are thesis based degrees and non-thesis based degrees. Most programs are set up to be completed in two years. I'm currently looking at doing a MS Entomology degree that has both degree options and is fully funded either way. As for zoo related degrees, the AZA recommends these programs. Most are affiliated with an AZA accredited zoo.

Something else to keep in mind, even if you get a 4.0 in a master's program, your cumulative and science GPA's might still not be competitive enough for vet school. Do you have a backup plan?

Jess Monster brings a good point about graduate school and to dovetail off her, make sure you are doing the research you love. Grad school tests you to stay dedicated to your research and interests and there is far less hand holding than in undergraduate degrees. You have to enjoy the work you are doing or else it will beat it out of you.

 

[scott1818]

Bringing this thread back to life with a couple questions:

I applied this cycle, but do not anticipate getting in due to a very low GPA. I am looking to do a masters program at Virginia Tech because they have a couple different ones that interest me (Dairy Science, or Animal and Poultry Science) and I'm hoping to go to VMRCVM (my IS). I want to be sure I pick a program I am very interested in and plan on using in my career (hoping to do either mixed or food animal).

For people who got their masters after having a low undergrad GPA: was it hard to get into a masters program because of your GPA? Also did vet schools use grad school grades in their GPA calculations? I've been reading mixed things about this on this thread and others. I basically want to know if it makes sense to get a masters in order to get better grades, and a better foundation in my career aspirations, or if this won't make a difference since my undergrad GPA was so bad.

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[aggievethopeful2021]

Bringing this thread back to life with a couple questions:

I applied this cycle, but do not anticipate getting in due to a very low GPA. I am looking to do a masters program at Virginia Tech because they have a couple different ones that interest me (Dairy Science, or Animal and Poultry Science) and I'm hoping to go to VMRCVM (my IS). I want to be sure I pick a program I am very interested in and plan on using in my career (hoping to do either mixed or food animal).

For people who got their masters after having a low undergrad GPA: was it hard to get into a masters program because of your GPA? Also did vet schools use grad school grades in their GPA calculations? I've been reading mixed things about this on this thread and others. I basically want to know if it makes sense to get a masters in order to get better grades, and a better foundation in my career aspirations, or if this won't make a difference since my undergrad GPA was so bad.

Thanks ahead of time!

I am currently about to complete a Masters after trying and failing to get an interview twice to vet school. My undergrad grades were pretty poor. I couldn't be happier with my choice. I love my Masters and am doing very well. Getting into a Masters program may be difficult depending on your grades and the program. Mine let anyone who had under a 3.0 that got in be put on probabtion the first semester. If they got below a 3.5 on probation, you're automatically kicked out of the program. But again, it all depends on the school. If you do decide to do a Masters, be sure to pick something you are interested in!

As far as applying with graduate grades, some schools factor them in and some do not. Some schools only calculate them into one of their categories. One thing about a Masters.. it does help with grades, but only so much. It has only improved my cumulative by 0.1 and my science a bit (and that's with my entire coarseload being science). But my last 45 has significantly been improved. If you can, retake prerequisites during your Masters if you can. That helps quite a bit. If you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[GreytLife]

Bringing this thread back to life with a couple questions:

I applied this cycle, but do not anticipate getting in due to a very low GPA. I am looking to do a masters program at Virginia Tech because they have a couple different ones that interest me (Dairy Science, or Animal and Poultry Science) and I'm hoping to go to VMRCVM (my IS). I want to be sure I pick a program I am very interested in and plan on using in my career (hoping to do either mixed or food animal).

For people who got their masters after having a low undergrad GPA: was it hard to get into a masters program because of your GPA? Also did vet schools use grad school grades in their GPA calculations? I've been reading mixed things about this on this thread and others. I basically want to know if it makes sense to get a masters in order to get better grades, and a better foundation in my career aspirations, or if this won't make a difference since my undergrad GPA was so bad.

Thanks ahead of time!

It definitely depends where you want to go to vet school! I know that if you are in a Masters program Michigan State will take your last 18credits of your masters program instead of last 45 and they weigh that GPA the heaviest. It was a little disappointing not to see my other GPA calculations increase as much as I would like but if you find a subject you would really like to spend the next 2 years studying I would say it is SO worth it. Especially if you find a program that has funding available or graduate assistantships to take care of tuition!

Additionally, I would say the masters program should set you up to work in that field as it may be a fall back plan for vet school. So make sure it is something you can see yourself doing for a while just in case!

 

[scott1818]

I am currently about to complete a Masters after trying and failing to get an interview twice to vet school. My undergrad grades were pretty poor. I couldn't be happier with my choice. I love my Masters and am doing very well. Getting into a Masters program may be difficult depending on your grades and the program. Mine let anyone who had under a 3.0 that got in be put on probabtion the first semester. If they got below a 3.5 on probation, you're automatically kicked out of the program. But again, it all depends on the school. If you do decide to do a Masters, be sure to pick something you are interested in!

As far as applying with graduate grades, some schools factor them in and some do not. Some schools only calculate them into one of their categories. One thing about a Masters.. it does help with grades, but only so much. It has only improved my cumulative by 0.1 and my science a bit (and that's with my entire coarseload being science). But my last 45 has significantly been improved. If you can, retake prerequisites during your Masters if you can. That helps quite a bit. If you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me!

It definitely depends where you want to go to vet school! I know that if you are in a Masters program Michigan State will take your last 18credits of your masters program instead of last 45 and they weigh that GPA the heaviest. It was a little disappointing not to see my other GPA calculations increase as much as I would like but if you find a subject you would really like to spend the next 2 years studying I would say it is SO worth it. Especially if you find a program that has funding available or graduate assistantships to take care of tuition!

Additionally, I would say the masters program should set you up to work in that field as it may be a fall back plan for vet school. So make sure it is something you can see yourself doing for a while just in case!

Thank you both, this is some good feedback!

If anyone else has insight or has experienced anything specifically with Virginia tech grad school or VMRCVM, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Awapi]

Thank you both, this is some good feedback!

If anyone else has insight or has experienced anything specifically with Virginia tech grad school or VMRCVM, I'd love to hear about it.

I have a friend from my MPH program (who has a DVM) who works at VMRCVM now. She's told me that they have an interest in public health, OneHealth, etc. In fact, the school has the first accredited MPH program within a vet school. I am specifically interested in vet public health, but didn't apply there because of their expiration date for undergraduate courses (I believe they say all of your pre-reqs must have been completed in the last 7 years - it was one of the most restrictive timelines I saw and I am a non-traditional applicant), but if you are interested in public health - it could be a path you could look into (talk to someone at the school about, etc).

 

[sed42]

Hi everyone, posting my question here because it's the most closely related board I could find..
I got waitlisted at all of vet school I applied to this cycle, so I was going to apply for either a Masters degree in Biology or for a vet tech program (online). Does anyone know if one program (if either) is favored over the other in terms of what looks better on an application? Or would it be better to take a few post-bacc classes and really focus on getting more vet experience?? Thanks!

 

[battie]

Hi everyone, posting my question here because it's the most closely related board I could find..
I got waitlisted at all of vet school I applied to this cycle, so I was going to apply for either a Masters degree in Biology or for a vet tech program (online). Does anyone know if one program (if either) is favored over the other in terms of what looks better on an application? Or would it be better to take a few post-bacc classes and really focus on getting more vet experience?? Thanks!

What would you want to do if you were never accepted? What your degrees should do is give you a feasible back up plan on the "if" of never getting into vet school.

 

[Jess Monster]

Hi everyone, posting my question here because it's the most closely related board I could find..
I got waitlisted at all of vet school I applied to this cycle, so I was going to apply for either a Masters degree in Biology or for a vet tech program (online). Does anyone know if one program (if either) is favored over the other in terms of what looks better on an application? Or would it be better to take a few post-bacc classes and really focus on getting more vet experience?? Thanks!

Don't get yourself entangled in another degree program just to win brownie points for vet school admissions. Do it because it's something you love and something you will actually use in your career.

Personally, I think your return on investment will be better with a MS Biology than with an online associate's degree.

 

[southcpupvet]

I thought I'd plug what I did and maybe this might help some of you out. I graduated with not the best GPA out of undergrad (overall 3.3, science 3.0) and ended up doing a Masters in Public Health Microbiology with a focus on emerging zoonotic and animal infectious diseases. I knew that getting into veterinary school was tough so I wanted to have a back up plan just in case I didn't get in. I knew I was interested in public health and I've always been fascinated with disease mechanisms and pathogenesis, so I found a Masters program where I could study both (message me if you want more info on it). While I was taking graduate level public health courses, I was taking hard sciences though the medical school with medical students and PhD candidates. I am walking out with a pretty good GPA and I was fortunate enough to get a few offers. I was also able to build my resume. I knew my weak point was research as I had only worked in one lab, so I worked in a few different labs throughout my time here. There is also a local zoo around here, a lot of shelters and small animal hospitals (I looked into working there but accepted a job at the USDA instead), if you are interested in boosting hours

My advice - I don't doubt you will get into vet school, but you also want to be smart. There are so many incredible applicants and you don't know where you are going to fall (I got instantly rejected from some of my 'safety' schools and accepted into some of my 'reach' schools). Go to a Master's program that will expand your horizons, that will build your interests. It made me a much more interesting candidate and I think what helped me get into so many schools.

 

[Shelby1207]

Thank you both, this is some good feedback!

If anyone else has insight or has experienced anything specifically with Virginia tech grad school or VMRCVM, I'd love to hear about it.

A family friend that teaches at VA Tech and is on the admissions committee (for vet school applicants) told me that they are told to strongly consider graduate GPAs when making admissions decisions. I hope this helps!

 

[VetMed812]

Hello,

Backgroud: I am going into my last year of college and trying to apply for my next academic step. Currently, I have four years of laboratory research experience dealing with ticks, PCR, and protein expression. However, I would like to pursue a career in wildlife medicine. I am going to graduate with a bachelor's double major in wildlife sciences and entomology, with a certificate in public health entomology.

I am most likely going to be graduating with a 2.7-2.9 GPA, which is pretty low for vet school. I am also lacking in my hands on animal experience.

Questions: I would like to know what master's degree programs would look good on a vet school application? What masters programs would boost my animal hands on experience and show that I am capable of handling vigorous science courses? Are there any masters programs affiliated with zoos?

I also do not know that much about post-baccalaureate programs. What would be a good post-baccalaureate program to look into if I am trying to improve my GPA and get hands on animal experience? Do post-baccalaureate programs lead into masters degree programs? How long does a post-baccalaureate program take?

Thank you, for take my questions into consideration.

I wouldn't worry about what looks good for veterinary school. I got a masters degree from a medical school that did a lot of research because if I didn't get into vet school I could use that degree to continue to grow professionally. I focused in human research because I already had tons of in vivo and in vitro research experiences and I figured all research should ideally benefit humans in the end. What you want to do with continued education at this point is to find ways to bypass one route to get to your end goal. Education is expensive if they don't pay you to do it and you do not want to pigeon hole yourself by limiting the path through veterinary medicine alone.
If you have a low GPA then it will be harder to get into a program but you should contact them and usually these things can be waived if you can make a good case. Saying because I want to use this to get into veterinary school is not a good case. Figure out a better master plan, this will help build your veterinary school application better too. I look at it like the beginning of an arc, education is the take off but where will it take you and where will you land.
A post-bac program will not add any animal experience but could allow you to take the prerequisite courses over if you want. They have tons of these for medical students but the requirements for medical school are less involved so they're usually just the core courses ( bio, inorganic, organic, physics...). A master's degree could add animal experience if you utilize animal models but there isn't that much time in a master's program to fully take advantage of these systems. It all depends on the projects you pick up with your PI. If you want one program to lead to another you need to network it and make it happen yourself, it helps to find a mentor.

 

[goldejal]

UPDATE: I am mainly posting this update for anyone who may be on a similar path and wants some insight. So, I did get accepted into grad school and graduated with my Master's in Biomedical Sciences from a top state school. That being said, do not let your GPA stop you from applying to a graduate program, especially if you have extenuating circumstances that may have hindered your GPA. I still want to go to veterinary school. Since the MS program was at a Veterinary School, it helped me take courses that were more animal med related, and I got more time to do a Large Animal Internship and explore other animal hands-on experience while in graduate school. Even though the course work was way more rigorous than undergrad, and I enjoyed it more because the classes were more focused and not so broad.