This 30-credit graduate program equips students with specialized knowledge at the intersection of veterinary medicine and forensic science. Students graduate with a Master of Science in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. This degree is designed for professionals pursuing careers outside traditional veterinary practice who can benefit from a forensic perspective. Such careers include animal control, law enforcement, veterinary medicine, shelter medicine, criminal justice, wildlife conservation, veterinary nursing, and legal advocacy related to animal welfare.
Master’s Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a natural science subject or social sciences, including criminal justice, psychology, anthropology, and law
OR
A DVM Degree - An upper-division GPA of 3.0 (B grade) or better
Students applying to the Veterinary Forensic Science master’s degree program must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better in the program.
All master’s and graduate certificate students must take 5 core courses.
Required Courses (15 Credits)
- VME6051 Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence
- VME6052 Animal Crime Scene Processing
- VME6054 Scientific and Legal Principles of Forensic Evidence
- VME6575 Veterinary Forensic Medicine
- ENY6706 Forensic Entomology
Non-Thesis Students
- Choose 5 elective courses to total 15 credit hours of electives. (Unless otherwise noted, all courses are assigned a letter grade.)
- All non-thesis master’s students are required to complete and pass a written and oral final exam in their last semester in order to graduate.
Elective Courses
- VME6053 Skeletal Trauma Analysis in Animals
- VME6056 Animal Law
- VME6571 Forensic Applied Animal Behavior
- VME6572 Forensic Aspects of Agricultural Animal Welfare
- VME6573 Applications of DNA for Companion Animals and Wildlife Cases
- VME6576 Veterinary Forensic Pathology II
- VME6577 Practicing Pathology (Veterinary Forensic Pathology I)
- VME6578 Forensic Veterinary Osteology
- VME6579 Veterinary Forensic Radiology and Imaging
- VME6830 Principles of All-Hazard Responding for Animal Welfare