UF Shelter Medicine certificate/master's programs

[sheltermed]

Hello!

I recently discovered that UF offers a couple of different online graduate programs in shelter medicine -- a Master’s Degree in Shelter Medicine and a Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine. Credits from the certificate can be transferred to the MS program if one decides they'd like to pursue it.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these programs or knows anyone who does? As someone with below average academics for a vet school application, pursuing a graduate program is something I may end up needing to do to gain admission. Tuition is pretty reasonable and both programs are entirely online. With the master's degree, there are also options to pursue a certificate in veterinary forensics, non-profit leadership, and/or public health.

I think the master's would make most sense for my future career plans, but, like anyone else, there's always the possibility of changing my mind for what I'd like to do once/if I get to vet school. I'll be hearing next week (I think) about whether I've been chosen for a 2-year government position that will have to do with animal shelter funding/policy, so concurrently pursuing the online degree may complement my job performance, and I would be done with the master's the semester prior to my [hopeful] start of vet school. The certificate program has you taking the 3 out of 4 of the core courses for the degree, which would take less time, and be less of a financial commitment. At the same time, it's only 9 credits, so I wouldn't be adding too much to my academic record (which I need - 3.1 undergrad cGPA). Was hoping for some insight/opinions! 🙂

Thank you!

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[wfw1234]

I haven't taken any of the classes but two of the vets I work with as well as a couple of administrators at my shelter are pursuing the Masters. I haven't talked to them about a ton but I haven't heard any complaints. I know they like that they can take as many or as few courses each semester as they'd like depending on how busy their schedules are so I'm sure you could work on pursuing it even if you end up with the government job. If I hadn't been accepted this year I was planning on applying for it as shelter med is where I want to land eventually as well and my grades were my biggest obstacle to acceptance.

 

[stenodactylus]

The masters degree sounds like something I might do if I can find an employer to pay for it

 

[Cyndia]

I'm doing the on-campus certificate program as a DVM student, since it's included in our block tuition. There's some overlap in courses, so if you shoot me a message with any questions, I can tell you about the classes I've completed so far (I have one online class left in the fall, and one clerkship left to complete in the spring to finish the certificate).

I also did a masters prior to veterinary school, and it was to supplement my gpa because that was the worst part of my application. If your only goal is to bump up your gpa, then the certificate isn't worth it. It's easy to get all A's if you complete all the assignments on time, but only 9 credits will do nothing for you overall. If you're interested in learning the material and have other things going on (which you would if you get that job you mentioned), then it might be worth it, since it could be a nice little addition to round out your application, particularly if you're interested in going into shelter med.

 

[sheltermed]

I'm doing the on-campus certificate program as a DVM student, since it's included in our block tuition. There's some overlap in courses, so if you shoot me a message with any questions, I can tell you about the classes I've completed so far (I have one online class left in the fall, and one clerkship left to complete in the spring to finish the certificate).

I also did a masters prior to veterinary school, and it was to supplement my gpa because that was the worst part of my application. If your only goal is to bump up your gpa, then the certificate isn't worth it. It's easy to get all A's if you complete all the assignments on time, but only 9 credits will do nothing for you overall. If you're interested in learning the material and have other things going on (which you would if you get that job you mentioned), then it might be worth it, since it could be a nice little addition to round out your application, particularly if you're interested in going into shelter med.

I ended up getting the job offer. Do you know how different the workload would be if I were to pursue the master's instead of the certificate? Do you know how many credits I'd need to take to finish it in 2 years? I'm in touch with an academic advisor at UF, but haven't heard back from them yet. Thanks for your input!

Also, what masters program did you do before vet school?

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[Cyndia]

I ended up getting the job offer. Do you know how different the workload would be if I were to pursue the master's instead of the certificate? Do you know how many credits I'd need to take to finish it in 2 years? I'm in touch with an academic advisor at UF, but haven't heard back from them yet. Thanks for your input!

Also, what masters program did you do before vet school?

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So sorry, just saw this! I'll send you a pm.

 

[gjsmize88]

Hi everyone! I didn't know if I should start a new thread or not but figured I would try posting here first to see if I can get my questions answered....sorry in advance for the novel I am about to write!!

I am on my second attempt with applying to vet school. First try I got wait listed at two schools and did not make it off. This time I am already down to two schools again, one of which I already interviewed at, the other I am still waiting to see if I get an invite. So I'm sort of having one of those reality check moments and realizing I'm going to have to do A LOT more to make my app stand out for the next time around if I don't get in again this year. I was thinking about maybe doing a masters, but have already missed the deadlines for most of the relevant programs at the schools near where I live. After further research, I found the UF masters and certificate programs for shelter med. My first question is - Will either of those actually look good on a vet school application and is it worth the money for the amount of weight it will actually have?

My preference would be to do the certificate program since it is only 1 year, and I am not sure the masters would benefit me in the event that I don't end up getting into veterinary school ever (yikes....I hate saying that). My point being that it's a lot of money to dump into something I may never use......the $4,800 is a little more reasonable in that case.

My other question, given that the first answer is 'yes, the program is worth it,' is - Will it be beneficial even if I am not sure if I am interested in shelter medicine? It isn't something I've 100% ruled out, as I have a background working with shelters/rescues and it is something I could potentially see myself doing. However, there are other areas of vet medicine that are higher on my list right now that I am definitely more interested in. Would it be pointless to have this certificate and then tell the schools I'm applying to that I am more interested in sports medicine/rehabilitation or in just working in a general practice setting than I am in shelter medicine?

Edit to add: My undergrad GPA isn't the greatest, but it isn't so low that I think it is what is keeping me from getting in. So I'm not interested in this being a GPA booster....but more of an additional experience to help make my application more impressive overall.

 

[battie]

Will it be beneficial even if I am not sure if I am interested in shelter medicine?

So this line stuck out at me.

Regardless of what masters program you would commit to, only do it because you would use it if you didn't get into vet school. Don't do one unless it's something you want, no to check off a box for your app.

 

[LyraGardenia]

Hi everyone! I didn't know if I should start a new thread or not but figured I would try posting here first to see if I can get my questions answered....sorry in advance for the novel I am about to write!!

I am on my second attempt with applying to vet school. First try I got wait listed at two schools and did not make it off. This time I am already down to two schools again, one of which I already interviewed at, the other I am still waiting to see if I get an invite. So I'm sort of having one of those reality check moments and realizing I'm going to have to do A LOT more to make my app stand out for the next time around if I don't get in again this year. I was thinking about maybe doing a masters, but have already missed the deadlines for most of the relevant programs at the schools near where I live. After further research, I found the UF masters and certificate programs for shelter med. My first question is - Will either of those actually look good on a vet school application and is it worth the money for the amount of weight it will actually have?

My preference would be to do the certificate program since it is only 1 year, and I am not sure the masters would benefit me in the event that I don't end up getting into veterinary school ever (yikes....I hate saying that). My point being that it's a lot of money to dump into something I may never use......the $4,800 is a little more reasonable in that case.

My other question, given that the first answer is 'yes, the program is worth it,' is - Will it be beneficial even if I am not sure if I am interested in shelter medicine? It isn't something I've 100% ruled out, as I have a background working with shelters/rescues and it is something I could potentially see myself doing. However, there are other areas of vet medicine that are higher on my list right now that I am definitely more interested in. Would it be pointless to have this certificate and then tell the schools I'm applying to that I am more interested in sports medicine/rehabilitation or in just working in a general practice setting than I am in shelter medicine?

Edit to add: My undergrad GPA isn't the greatest, but it isn't so low that I think it is what is keeping me from getting in. So I'm not interested in this being a GPA booster....but more of an additional experience to help make my application more impressive overall.

I second what bats said, I wouldn't do it if you don't plan on going into shelter medicine. Do file reviews with the schools that have rejected or waitlisted you and see what they recommend you do to improve. If your GPA is already good, grad school probably isn't the answer unless it's what you really want to do.

 

[gjsmize88]

So this line stuck out at me.

Regardless of what masters program you would commit to, only do it because you would use it if you didn't get into vet school. Don't do one unless it's something you want, no to check off a box for your app.

I second what bats said, I wouldn't do it if you don't plan on going into shelter medicine. Do file reviews with the schools that have rejected or waitlisted you and see what they recommend you do to improve. If your GPA is already good, grad school probably isn't the answer unless it's what you really want to do.

Thanks for your responses! My GPA was a 3.5......not really exceptional, but not bad either, especially when you consider that I was a D1 athlete and the science programs at my school are known to be very rigorous. I got 1 C and it was in biostatistics. Do you think doing a masters would help my case at all? I will be doing the file reviews, but the problem with that is a lot of the schools aren't offering them yet and the deadlines for a lot of the masters programs are approaching or have already passed, so I need to decide soon before I have no option at all!

Also, side note.. it's not that shelter medicine is definitely NOT something I would think about doing....it just isn't my #1 interest atm. But I hear over and over that once you get into vet school it's super common to change your mind on which path you want to take, and shelter medicine is for sure still a possibility. I also don't know that, if I never got in to vet school, I would be able to use it for whatever career I ultimately choose....however I am very involved in animal rescue and plan on continuing to work with shelters throughout my life whether I become a vet or not.

 

[1103]

Hi! I have a shelter certificate and a master of science in veterinary forensic science from UF. I worked in a shelter when I decided to get the certificate and forensics has always interested me. I loved the program! I am now doing a One Health Master's at UF too. Here are a few things I know from applying to vet school. It is my second time applying.

If you are looking to do the program just to get your grades up, I would look at a biomedical on-campus program instead like at Iowa or Colorado. I loved Iowa when I visited. The reason why is UF does not use those courses for their science GPA. I was under the impression they did, but I was informed by the pre-vet advisor that they do not. It did help my last 45 quite a bit, but UF does not use public health science courses or VME courses in the science GPA. It is really a bummer because I have a 3.8 in my graduate courses but really low undergraduate from 20 years ago.

Also, I would talk to the schools you want to go to and ask their suggestion. Some schools don't mind if you do an online program and some like LMU suggest you do not. At least that is what they told me last year when I was waitlisted. I applied to their graduate program on campus and was not accepted, unfortunately. I personally think online education takes a lot of discipline and allowed me to work full time. I had no choice at the time.

As far as the program, I loved it!!! You learn a lot and many of the other students are vets. The teaching style is problem-based, looking at real-world cases so that you can apply your knowledge in the real world. I loved my professors and want to go to UF, but the problem is that they don't use those grades in the science GPA calculation, so it is tough for me to get past phase 1.

I would talk to the vet schools you want to go to and get their thoughts. To improve your core science GPA, I would look at a 1-year non-thesis program since those are courses like anatomy, histology, etc. I was going to go to Iowa last summer for their biomedical program, but after talking to them and timing, I decided to continue at UF. Please feel free to message me if you have further questions. Ask me anything!

 

[Old-Country-Vet-Tech]

I was warned against it by UF and LMU they want to see a rigorous program where you improved your grades and were able to do graduate work. I decided to persue a masters in animal science as a backup plan so if vet doesn't turn out I can still work in my chosen field of study. I would suggest a 1yr non thesis in your IS in your chosen field. Keep in mind Iowa doesn't count grad gpa in your gpa. They do however replace grades as does Wisconsin.

 

[1103]

I was warned against it by UF and LMU they want to see a rigorous program where you improved your grades and were able to do graduate work. I decided to persue a masters in animal science as a backup plan so if vet doesn't turn out I can still work in my chosen field of study. I would suggest a 1yr non thesis in your IS in your chosen field. Keep in mind Iowa doesn't count grad gpa in your gpa. They do however replace grades as does Wisconsin.

Hello,
Iowa did use my graduate grades in the last 45 which helped my GPA significantly.They only look at cumulative to see if you meet the qualification.

 

[Cyndia]

If you're not 100% sold on shelter med and this isn't going to do much for your application, then I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing it.. because if you are a student at UF later, you can complete the certificate for free as part of your vet school tuition.

You mentioned this is your second application cycle - what did your file reviews the first time through say for you to improve? Did you manage to fix those things before your second round of apps? If you haven't, you should focus on that. If it was GPA related, then I agree with the others that a more rigorous graduate program would probably be better than completing the certificate.

 

[gjsmize88]

You mentioned this is your second application cycle - what did your file reviews the first time through say for you to improve? Did you manage to fix those things before your second round of apps? If you haven't, you should focus on that. If it was GPA related, then I agree with the others that a more rigorous graduate program would probably be better than completing the certificate.

I did do a file review last cycle and it wasn't the most helpful. I was told I needed more hands on vet-related experience and more not-animal-related volunteer experience, which I did add more of each to my app this year...but apparently not enough because the school I did that review with still rejected me right away. When I asked them if improving my grades would help, they told me that my GPA wasn't really the issue.

The reason I was asking about the certificate/masters is because I feel like I need to do something a little more drastic to make my app stand out more next cycle if I have to apply again, since adding more experience hours didn't seem to help at all. I also was worried about taking too much time off from being a student and having a hard time adjusting to taking classes again when I finally do get to vet school. From the sound of these answers, though, I'm thinking the UF programs are not going to be the way to go, and unfortunately I think I'm too late to put in an app for most of the other programs that would be worth taking :/

 

[SkiOtter]

I did do a file review last cycle and it wasn't the most helpful. I was told I needed more hands on vet-related experience and more not-animal-related volunteer experience, which I did add more of each to my app this year...but apparently not enough because the school I did that review with still rejected me right away. When I asked them if improving my grades would help, they told me that my GPA wasn't really the issue.

How much did you increase these by in the past year? Did you go from like 150 vet to 300? Or to like 600? If you only increased it a little bit, that potentially could still be your problem.
It could also partially be where you’re applying, but not sure