Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences


The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The college was founded in 1916 and is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It is consistently ranked as one of the top 5 vet schools in the country, according to U.S. News. The college offers an undergraduate program in Biomedical Sciences, a professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program, and numerous graduate programs relating to veterinary medicine and epidemiology.

History

The first record of an attempt to teach veterinary science at the Agricultural & Mechanical College was made in the third session of the college in 1878-79 when the college surgeon, D. Port Smythe, M.D., was also listed on the faculty as professor of anatomy, physiology and hygiene. No course is described, however, and no further record is available to indicate that such a course was actually given.
The catalog of the fourth session also mentions proposed lectures in veterinary science, concerned mainly with domestic animals, but again no formal record exists of any actual courses given at the time.
In April 1888, the college received a state appropriation of $2500 for equipping and operating a Department of Veterinary Science, and on June 6, 1888, Dr. Mark Francis received his formal appointment to the faculty. This marked the real beginning of professional veterinary medicine in Texas; Francis was the first trained veterinarian at the college and would become one of the most distinguished men in United States veterinary medicine.

Chronological history

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The highlighting degree of the college is the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. The DVM program is a four-year degree consisting of three years of classroom and laboratory instruction and a fourth year of clinical experience. Each year the college admits 132 students through a highly competitive application process. The professional curriculum allows students to track in small, mixed, or large animal medicine with opportunities for experience in exotics and research.

DVM/MBA

The college offers a joint program with the Mays Business School. Students earn a Master of Business Administration degree, in addition to their DVM. Students complete all four years of the DVM program with an additional year earning their MBA. The MBA program is typically completed between the 2nd and 3rd years of the DVM program.

Ph.D. Degrees

A bachelor's in biomedical sciences is available for undergraduate students. The program focuses on basic sciences, as well as advanced classes in veterinary medicine, microbiology, and genetics. The curriculum is designed to provide students with the basic prerequisites and background for careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, and biomedical careers.

Research

Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine conducts research in genetics, physiology and pharmacology, animal husbandry, virology, bacteriology, and a number of other disciplines. Also, clinical research is performed by clinicians in the college veterinary hospitals.
The College's research into animal cloning is one of the more publicized ventures. Texas A&M scientists created the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named "CC ", on December 22, 2001. Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone each of six different species: cattle, a goat, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse.

Departments

Veterinary Integrative Biosciences

The Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences carries out teaching, research, and service across a wide spectrum of biosciences. Biomedical science represents a vital component to the foundation of medical knowledge and includes investigation at molecular, cellular, organismal, and populational levels.

Veterinary Pathobiology

The Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A&M University is one of the largest and most active in the country. The Department offers programs of graduate instruction and research leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics, Microbiology, and Pathology, and the Master of Science degree in Parasitology. These degree programs provide the opportunity for coursework of suitable breadth and depth within the major and supporting fields in conjunction with research experience in an area of interest.

Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology

The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology has multiple missions in the areas of teaching, research, and service with an emphasis on both veterinary and human physiology and pharmacology. Teaching responsibilities within the department fall into three general categories: 1) undergraduate instruction leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science, 2) graduate instruction leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Biomedical Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Toxicology and 3) professional instruction leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.
The primary research focus areas within the department include toxicology, cardiovascular sciences, reproductive sciences and pharmacology. The department has a well-funded, well-published, and internationally renowned faculty including: 28 full-time faculty, 17 visiting and adjunct faculty, and 113 technical and administrative support staff. Departmental extramural grant support is 8 million dollars per year and the department's research and teaching facilities encompass over 100,000 square feet within the college. The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology is the only department of its kind in the state of Texas and interacts extensively with the Colleges of Agriculture, Science, Engineering, Education, the Texas A&M Health Science Center, and the School of Rural Public Health. Long-standing collaborative interactions also exist with Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station.

Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Focused mainly on research into care of larger animals such as horses and cattle.

Small Animal Clinical Sciences

Focused mainly on research and care of "companion animals".

Biomedical Sciences Program

A distinctive undergraduate program in Biomedical Science is offered at Texas A&M University. Biomedical Science is the broad field of applied biology related to health and disease.

Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital was established in 1915 when the Texas Legislature approved the creation of a public school of veterinary medicine and provided funds for building of a veterinary teaching hospital.
Today, the VMTH generates approximately $7.5 million annually, or 75% of the facility's operating budget, from clinical services offered to client animals brought in for diagnosis and treatment. Among notable patients of the hospital has been Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winner.
The Hospital also benefits from state appropriations to the CVM for faculty salaries, utilities, grounds maintenance, building maintenance and other infrastructure maintenance costs.
In recent years, the Hospital has served animals referred from approximately 2,500 veterinarians in 164 of Texas's 254 counties and 31 of the 50 United States.