Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is the oldest veterinary college in Canada and the US. Founded in Toronto in 1862, the College moved to Guelph in 1922. 

Today more than 400 students are enrolled in the professional DVM Program and approximately 175 in graduate programs. Dedicated to the advancement of veterinary and comparative medicine, OVC faculty members have a distinguished international reputation for excellence in teaching, research and service. 

The Ontario Veterinary College is accredited by the Canadian and American Veterinary Medical Associations and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom.

Experience the AVC advantage

The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the Atlantic Veterinary College attracts the best and brightest regional and international students, and offers an engaging, immersive veterinary curriculum in the beautiful capital of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Our program is fully accredited by the Canadian and American Veterinary Medical Associations and is recognized by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom. Our highly sought-after graduates are eligible for licensure in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and consistently achieve high success rates in their licensing examinations.

Why AVC?

One of eight faculties at the University of Prince Edward Island, AVC maintains an outstanding reputation throughout the region, across Canada, and internationally.

The University of Guelph is pleased to announce a new combined degree program that pairs the existing Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and Master of Public Health (MPH) programs. This new program will enable students to complete both a DVM and an MPH degree in a reduced overall number of semesters. 

Academic requirements

1) High School

In high school, choose the academic stream and take all the science, math and English prerequisites necessary.

2) College or University

• To be considered for the DVM program, applicants must have completed a minimum of four full-time semesters (e.g. 10.00 credits at the University of Guelph) in an undergraduate bachelor’s degree program, as well as eight prerequisite courses.  This may be done at any accredited College or University and in any major of interest. Courses do not need to be completed in a specialized college or faculty, or in a designated Pre-Veterinary program.
• All prerequisite courses must be completed by August 31 (for international applicants), and December 31 (for Canadian applicants), of the year prior to anticipated entry.  Applicants must present a prerequisite average of 75% or higher as well as an average of 75% or higher in the last two full-time semesters in order to be considered for admission. Complete at least two years (4 semesters) of full time studies of a Bachelor’s degree program. Full time is a minimum of five one-semester courses, for example 2.5 credits at the University of Guelph  or 15 credit hours at a US school. The prerequisite courses listed below must all be taken in a full-time semester.

Full-time Study Requirement

As a professional degree, the DVM program is a rigorous program with intense curricular demands.  Applicants need to demonstrate their capacity for high academic performance prior to applying to the DVM program, including strong performance in eight prerequisite courses completed during full-time study.

What is a full-time semester?

• The definition of a full-time course load varies among institutions. However, for DVM admission purposes, a full-time semester is defined as a minimum of 2.50 credits. This is typically five courses at 0.50 credits each per semester. Note: For universities that use a 3.00/6.00 credit system, students must have a minimum total of 15.00 credits per semester in order to be considered full-time.
• A course that runs the full year will have the credit weight divided equally and half applied to each of the two semesters in which the course is taken.
• Field courses with a component completed outside of the regular semester schedule do not count towards the total credit weight of a semester.

 For full details on the requirements and process to apply please click here

Non-academic requirements

Non-academic traits such as interpersonal skills, leadership, cultural competency, community-mindedness, self-regulation and resilience are essential qualities for success in the DVM program and the veterinarian profession.

Non-academic attributes will be evaluated through each applicant’s results from their Casper score, veterinary- and animal-related experiences, extracurricular activities, referee assessments, and personal statements.

For full details on how to apply please see Applying to DVM – OVC Recruitment (uoguelph.ca)

ACVP Training Program Overview

Name of Institution:	University of Guelph
Address:	Department of Pathobiology University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1 CANADA

Program Coordinators and Emails:
Anatomic: Dr. Brandon Lillie, blillie@uoguelph.ca
Clinical: Dr. Dorothee Bienzle, dbienzle@uoguelph.ca

Resident Representatives:
Dr. Gary Lee
Dr. Latasha Ludwig

Prerequisites Beyond DVM:
None

We use antlers in all of our decorating: Pathology Training in the Great White North (video)

Program Information:
Program	CP	AP	Combined MS/PhD
Program Options	DVSc	DVSc	PhD program integrated with applied training
Full Time Residents	2-3	5	Variable: 1-2 (CP) 2-3 (AP)
Typical # of years for completion	3	3-3.5	4-5
Money to go to one (1) meeting/year	Yes, from research advisor	Yes, from research advisor	Yes, from research advisor
Money for books and supplies	Stipend for graduate program	Stipend for graduate program	Stipend for graduate program
Independent research/publication required for program completion?	Yes, with thesis	Yes, with thesis	Yes, with thesis

Comments:
The Doctor of Veterinary Science is a 3-year applied doctoral program that leads to eligibility for the certifying examination of the ACVP. It combines coursework, participation in applied pathology service, and an investigative research project that leads to a doctoral thesis. The PhD program has a greater emphasis on research, but can also include applied training leading to ACVP eligibility.

Case Load:
	Small Animals	Large Animals	Exotic/Zoo Animals	Lab Animals
Anatomic Pathology	See below	See below	51	Separate service
Clinical Pathology

Comments:
The AHL receives ~ 2500 necropsy submissions: ~55% dog/cat/horse, ~35% food animal (mammalian & avian), 5% exotics; and ~7000 histology/“mail- in” submissions (70% dog/ cat/ horse/other). Of these, trainees evaluate ~800 autopsies (40% food animal, and 60% dog/ cat/ horse/other). The biopsy caseload for trainees is not specifically tracked; it is typically 3-7 cases per day. Lab animal pathology is a separate service, and anatomic pathology trainees do not normally participate in this service. The AHL receives approximately 50,000/yr submissions for Clinical Pathology.

Required Coursework for Specific Programs:
MS	3 courses
PhD	None required, typically take 2-3 courses
AP	DVSc: 5 courses
CP	DVSc: 5 courses

Comments:
Formal graduate courses in General Pathology and in Applied Diagnostic Pathology including Systems Pathology are typically taken by all pathology graduate students. Courses in Comparative Pathology, Immunology, Statistics and others are available. Clinical Pathology graduates take 3 Applied Clinical Pathology courses, and the didactic courses of Mechanisms of Disease, Hematology/Cytology, and Clinical Chemistry.

Other Opportunities:
The DVSc research project is conducted over the 3 years of the program, capitalizes on the diverse research strengths and excellent research infrastructure of the department, and typically results in 1-2 published manuscripts. The research project requires a thesis and a defense with an external examiner.

Percentage of Time Spent in Activities – Clinical Pathology:
	Service	Teaching	Seminar/Courses	Research	Other
Year 1	45	5	30	20
Year 2	40	5	20	35
Year 3	30	5	20	45
Year 4

Comments:
– Distribution of effort is approximate and varies depending on the interests, performance, and goals of the graduate student.
– There is close interaction with the Animal Health Laboratory, an AAVLD accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory.
– The Department of Pathobiology and Animal Health Laboratory together employ 22 pathologists.
– Broad selection of applied and fundamental courses relevant to anatomic, clinical, and comparative pathology.
– Numerous weekly gross and microscopic rounds sessions.
– Ancillary technologies in routine use: immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, molecular diagnostics.

Percentage of Time Spent in Activities – Anatomic Pathology:
	Service	Teaching	Seminar/Courses	Research	Other
Year 1	33	Included in “service”	45	22
Year 2	33	Included in “service”	33	33
Year 3	33	Included in “service”	22	45
Year 4

Comments:
– Distribution of effort among these activities is approximate, not formally defined, and varies depending on the interests, performance and goals of the graduate student.
– Close interaction with the Animal Health Laboratory, an AAVLD accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory.
– Department of Pathobiology and Animal Health Laboratory combined employ 22 pathologists.
– Broad selection of applied and fundamental courses relevant to anatomic, clinical and comparative pathology.
– Numerous weekly gross and microscopic rounds sessions.
– Specialists in Laboratory Animal, Wildlife, Zoo Animal and Mouse Model Pathology.
– Ancillary technologies in routine use: immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, molecular diagnostics.