Courses and schedule are subject to change based on demand and availability.
I. Core Courses – Required 15 Credits
These courses are required for both the Master of Science and the Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine.
VME 6810: Integrating Veterinary Medicine with Shelter Systems All students must take this course in their first semester as an introduction to the field of Shelter Medicine and course technology.
VME 6811: Shelter Animal Physical Health
VME 6950: Capstone Project (required for Master of Science students during the final semester and can be taken for variable credit of 1-3 hours)
II. Electives – Required 15 credits or more for Master of Science
II-a – Electives in Shelter Medicine
VME 6812: Problem-Oriented Approach to Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare
VME 6814: Principles of Teaching in Animal Shelters
VME 6817: Humane Euthanasia Practices for Animal Shelters
VME 6818: High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter
VME 6820: Introduction to Veterinary Disaster Response
VME 6934: Principles of All-Hazard Responding in Animal Welfare
VME 6951: Communicating Research about Shelter Medicine
VME 6910: Supervised Research
Please view the Course Tracker document to see the full list of courses for all semesters, course requirements, and access syllabi.
II-b – Electives counted towards Certificate in Veterinary Forensic Sciences
Electives that count toward a Certificate in Veterinary Forensic Sciences can also count as your elective credits for your Master of Science in Shelter Medicine. To learn more about Veterinary Forensic Sciences courses, please visit the program website.
II-c. In-Person Elective Labs
The Forensic Medicine program offers in-person laboratory courses that are a 5-day intensive interactive experience that take place each semester in Gainesville, FL. These laboratory courses are 3 credits and may count towards your total electives for the Online Shelter Medicine Master’s of Science degree. More information is found on the Forensic Medicine website.