Murray State University to offer Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program; plans School of Veterinary Medicine

Murray State University has received approval from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to offer a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program. The next step for the university to officially be able to enroll students into the program is to receive American Veterinary Medical Association program accreditation. These steps are in the works as the university also intends to establish a School of Veterinary Medicine.

According to an article on Murray State University’s website, Dr. Ron Patterson, the university’s president, was quoted as saying, “This is a significant step as we continue to make great strides in advancing this important initiative, which will greatly benefit our region and the Commonwealth. We are very grateful to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, led by Dr. Aaron Thompson, for supporting our efforts as we move forward with offering a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Murray State University. I would also like to thank both past and present members of our Board of Regents, my predecessor, Dr. Bob Jackson and the leadership team, Murray State faculty, staff, and students, our west Kentucky delegation, and the General Assembly.”

The university currently has several programs, schools, and facilities that have contributed to the university’s Hutson School of Agriculture having the largest pre-veterinary medicine/veterinary technology enrollment among Kentucky’s universities. The university has the A. Carman Animal Health Technology Center, the Rudolph Equine Education Center, the Breathitt Veterinary Center, and several farms. Additionally, a new $60 million Veterinary Sciences Building will be constructed on campus thanks to state legislature funding.

There is a need throughout Kentucky’s rural and underserved counties for veterinarians. There is no School of Veterinary Medicine in Kentucky, and only 33 in the whole country.

The university is pursuing American Veterinary Medical Association program accreditation. It expects to be able to enroll its first students in the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program in the Fall 2028 semester.

For more information about Murray State University, visit the school’s website.