Campus News

College of Veterinary Medicine receives full accreditation again

Allen
Sheila Allen

The College of Veterinary Medicine once again has received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education.

The AVMA COE uses clearly defined standards to evaluate veterinary medical education programs, including facilities, clinical resources, curriculum, faculty and research programs. The standards are interpreted and applied by the COE to each college in relation to its mission.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is pleased that the COE has reaffirmed our full accreditation,” said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the college. “Accreditation by the COE is recognized internationally as the gold standard for veterinary medical education. Thanks to the work of many throughout the college, we have earned this well-deserved recognition.”

The accreditation process, which takes about one year, includes a comprehensive self-study that is reviewed by the site team prior to a five-day visit to the college. After the visit, the site team files a report to the AVMA COE. The council then votes on whether to award full accreditation or limited accreditation. The COE site team reviews everything in the college that relates to the education of DVM students.

“They conduct extensive interviews with faculty, staff and students, and evaluate programs to determine that our students are receiving the best professional veterinary education possible,” Allen said.

The accreditation review occurs every seven years for fully accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. Currently, 28 schools in the U.S. are accredited by the AVMA COE; another five accredited schools are located in Canada and 13 more are located outside North America.