Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/Master of Public Health

Needs and opportunities for veterinarians are expanding in organizations ranging from public agencies dealing with animal and human health, to agencies and corporations charged with food safety and security from the farm to the consumer level. The demand is increasing for veterinarians with additional education in food safety, food and animal production, zoonotic diseases, biosecurity, research methods and public policy. The veterinary degree alone is not enough to prepare veterinarians to meet these challenges and opportunities. A Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is an excellent and necessary addition to the DVM degree for those individuals wanting to make a career in public health and service.

Students must be currently enrolled in the professional DVM degree program at the University of Tennessee (DVM students) to enter the dual DVM-MPH program; all requirements for both the DVM and MPH degrees must be met for admission.DVM students may enroll in the program at any time during years 1 - 3, but progress and time to completion will be affected by when a student starts the dual program and how many courses are satisfactorily completed each semester. For admission to a graduate program, an international student must have an equivalent 4-year bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale on all previous coursework or a 3.30 on a 4.00 scale on all previous graduate work. Grading systems other than the 4.00 scale are evaluated, upon receipt of transcripts, in accordance with standard practice. Programs may require a higher average GPA for admission. Applicants with work experience or who are entering graduate study after a number of years away from an educational institution, usually five years, will be given consideration with greater flexibility relative to GPA