Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota grew from practical instruction offered when the School of Agriculture opened on the St. Paul campus in 1888, teaching high school age students animal husbandry, feeding, farm hygiene, and veterinary science, and later expanding to college-level courses in the care and breeding of livestock and workhorses. In 1916, a division of veterinary science began animal-health research, and Clifford P. Fitch and other early leaders helped standardize tests for brucellosis, a devastating disease in dairy herds. After many decades of efforts to create a professional veterinary program, returning World War II GIs successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature, leading to the creation of a school of veterinary medicine that became a fully accredited college in 1947. The College of Veterinary Medicine first focused on farm animals, then expanded to companion animals, while animal scientists extended research to protect wild animals and birds in response to environmental concerns. In the late 1980s, the college joined the University's Academic Health Center in recognition of connections between animal and human health. In the 21st century, the college educates veterinarians and biomedical scientists, conducts research, provides veterinary care, offers significant opportunities for women, who earn about 80 percent of doctor of veterinary medicine degrees granted, and works with partners to prevent disease outbreaks in animal and human populations while supporting teaching, research, and treatment through facilities including the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Veterinary Medical Center, the Equine Center, the Raptor Center, and other animal-health centers.

Falcon Heights, Minnesota · United States