Master of Veterinary Biomedical Science

The Master of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (VBMS) program is dedicated to providing advanced academic learning in the life sciences through graduate coursework, professional training, and research. Graduates from this degree program are able to independently explore an area of the primary literature of the life sciences, analyze and critique published research reports, and communicate about life sciences in formal oral and written modalities.

The VBMS program does not guarantee admission to any professional program, at LMU or elsewhere. 

Master of Veterinary Biomedical Science Admissions

Policies will follow existing LMU policies for undergraduate and/or master's degree programs, with any differences for this degree program noted in this catalog. Each applicant is evaluated holistically by considering each required element of the application package.

Eligibility

All applicants to the VBMS program must:

• hold a bachelor's degree from an institution with regional accreditation or equivalent verification in the case of international degrees
• have a 2.7+ cumulative (CUM) GPA

Any applicant who has attempted DVM-level coursework prior to applying to the VBMS program at LMU-CVM must demonstrate a cumulative GPA of 2.0+ in their professional coursework and request a Recommendation Questionnaire from the Dean or Administrator at their previous CVM. Applicants who fail to meet this standard and/or do not receive a recommendation from their past CVM Dean/Administrator do not qualify for admission to the VBMS program at LMU-CVM. Both conditions must be met to qualify for admission consideration.

Required Prerequisite Coursework

All applicants to the VBMS program must demonstrate successful completion of the following required prerequisite coursework prior to their intended starting semester with a GPA of 2.0+:

• Six (6) credit hours of English
  • Reading and/or Composition courses can count towards this total.
• Six (6) credit hours of Mathematics at the College Algebra level or higher
  • Probability and Statistics can count towards this total.
• Sixteen (16) credit hours of Biological Sciences with labs
  • Eight (8) credits of General Biology
  • Eight (8) credits of upper-level Biology
• Twelve (12) credit hours of Chemistry
  • Six (6) credits of Organic Chemistry and labs
  • Six (6) credits of General Chemistry and labs
• Three (3) credit hours of algebra- or calculus-based Physics with labs
• Three (3) credit hours of Biochemistry
• Probability and Statistics
• Molecular Genetics

*To achieve the required 2.0+ required GPA in the above listed prerequisite coursework, applicants must demonstrate a C or better in that coursework. Applicants who earned a C-, D, or F in any of the above listed required prerequisite coursework do not meet the admissions requirements and thus are not eligible for the VBMS program.

VBMS Required Application Materials

• Complete the PostbacCAS Application
  • Official Transcripts for all institutions attended
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation*
  • One (1) personal statement that professionally articulates a response to the following prompt:
    • How will the VBMS program help you achieve your career goals?
  • Application fee (PostbacCAS fee + LMU Application fee)
  • Full CV

*Letters should be requested from the applicant's instructors (natural science instructor recommended), a veterinarian familiar with the applicant's experiences in veterinary medicine, or a health professions advisory committee.

VBMS Admissions Procedure

Upon receipt of a complete and verified application through PostbacCAS, the following process will commence:

1. Initial Review: The LMU-CVM Office of Graduate Programs will confirm that all required elements of the application have been received. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for resubmission with missing materials noted.
2. Committee Review: The VBMS Admissions Committee will review the application and assess the strength of the whole packet. Applicants who meet the criteria for admission will be invited for a committee interview.
3. Admission Interview: The Zoom interview will allow committee members to assess the applicant's fit with the VBMS program.
4. Recommendation and Dean's Decision: The committee will make a recommendation of admission to the LMU-CVM Dean. The Dean will make the final decision of admission.
5. Admission Decision Notification: The LMU-CVM Office of Graduate Programs will make the notification of the Dean's decision to each applicant.

When reviewing application files, the committee looks at numerous applicant criteria, including undergraduate/graduate coursework, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and any other pertinent materials that may be included with the file.

Upon acceptance into the graduate program, applicants will receive an official packet of materials including an acceptance letter and any other items than may be deemed necessary. Deadlines regarding program deposits, residential life, immunization records, etc. will be included in the acceptance packet.

Applicants with Foreign Coursework

Applicants to the VBMS program who have completed coursework at an institution external to the United States must complete the standard application procedure outlined above. All data included in the application (essays, demographic information, reference letters, CVs, etc.) must be written in English.

Any transcripts from institutions located outside of the United States must be evaluated by either the World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silney & Associates, Inc. Transcripts and evaluations should be submitted as normal through PostbacCAS.

If English is not the applicant's native language, the applicant must submit one of the following test scores via an official report sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to PostbacCAS.

• iBT (Internet-based TOEFL): minimum score of 61.
• CBT (Computer-based TOEFL): minimum score of 173.
• PBT (Paper-based TOEFL): minimum score of 500.

TOEFL scores older than 2 years will not be accepted.

*Applicants who earned a baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) from an American or English-speaking institution are not required to take the TOEFL.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are subject to change and are determined by LMU main campus. For information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Student Financial Services webpage here.

Please note that some fees may not be specifically listed. Any questions about tuition rates, fees, or financial aid should be directed to the Student Financial Services team.

VBMS Degree Completion after Matriculation to LMU-CVM DVM Program

Students previously enrolled in the VBMS program who become new CVM-I students prior to completion of the VBMS degree may complete their VBMS courses at no additional tuition charge above tuition paid for their CVM-I year, provided the total credits in courses for both programs do not exceed the maximum number in the typical CVM-I schedule (see CVM Course Catalog for credit hours). VBMS students who return to complete the degree at any time will be charged the tuition rate in force when they return to complete the required courses. Students desiring to complete the MS degree in CVM-II or later will be charged the tuition rate in force when taking the courses.

After completing the core required courses for the VBMS Thesis Track, the tuition rate for VBMS Thesis Research course credits shall be the same as other VBMS credit hours for that year.

Note: Matriculation to LMU-CVM's DVM Program prior to completion of the VBMS program is unusual and should not be expected. VBMS students should expect to complete both semesters of the program.

VBMS Academic Progress, Standards, and Policies

VBMS Program Requirements for Graduation

A minimum of 30 (VBMS) credit hours graduate coursework and satisfactory completion of all core courses is required for graduation with the Master of Science degree. The student must complete the degree program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.85 or greater to be awarded the degree unless otherwise required to be higher.

The student bears ultimate responsibility for effective planning, progression, and completion of all requirements for the chosen degree. The student should review their academic progress on MyLMU by accessing WebAdvisor for Students, Academic Planning, and then Program Evaluation to access their academic evaluation. This document also represents the Intent to Graduate form which is signed and submitted to the Registrar's Office by the specified due date for participation in the commencement ceremony and conferring of degree. 

Students are also required to complete all program and University assessments and surveys.

VBMS Curriculum

The Master of Veterinary Biomedical Science (VBMS) curriculum is a full-time two-semester program leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree. The curriculum is designed to provide advanced academic learning in the life sciences through graduate coursework, professional training, and research. Graduates from this degree program are able to independently explore an area of the primary literature of the life sciences, analyze and critique published research reports, and communicate about life sciences in formal oral and written modalities.

Employment while Enrolled

The curriculum of the VBMS at LMU is designed to enhance a student’s academic qualifications. All classes are preparatory coursework for professional school and other post-graduate goals. It is strongly recommended that students are not employed during the duration of the program. This ensures that they will be able to focus 100% upon their studies.

Enrollment in other Master Programs 

No student will be permitted to enroll in any Master of Business Administration Courses while taking MS courses. Students accepted into the DVM-MBA program must take the MBA courses in the summer following their first two VBMS semesters.

Enrollment Status as Determined by Credit Hours 

Full-time status as a VBMS graduate student is a minimum of nine (9) graduate credits in a Fall or Spring semester, or six (6) during a summer session. Generally, VBMS students enroll in 15 credit hours per Fall and Spring semester. Summer session courses are not guaranteed. 

Students must be registered for a minimum of six (6) credit hours to qualify for financial aid. Contact the Office of Student Financial Services for more information if necessary.

Attendance

Graduate students in the Master of Veterinary Biomedical Science degree program are required to follow the attendance policies of each of the courses in which they are registered.

Participation in Research Courses

Scholarly work is a desirable characteristic of a veterinary school or residency applicant. Master of Veterinary Biomedical Science students must take advantage of the opportunities to become familiar with faculty expertise and current research activities. The student should request a short meeting to discuss becoming part of these ongoing efforts and then reach a mutual decision to contribute to that faculty member’s research team. Depending on the amount of research effort, variable academic credit is available.

Students may need to conduct research activities during the summer in order to complete the requirements. Students must realize that scholarly activity is time intensive and that it demands an investment beyond the typical time devoted to lecture or lab courses. Capacity for students to participate in research projects is limited by the number and workload of supervisory faculty members in the several departments. Students may elect to continue their graduate research project as a thesis research project which should result in a scholarly research publication or presentation. If this pathway is selected the student may continue to pursue the research during the summers as approved by their Supervisory Committee.

Research Travel Awards

These awards will be given based on the merit of the scholarship completed and may be used to defray expenses of traveling to a regional, national, or international meeting to present the completed scholarly work of the student or team of students. A single award will be made for a team project. The team may decide to send a representative or split the award among the members allowing more than one member to participate in the target professional meeting. The students should record the award on their CV. 

To be considered for an LMU MS Research Award, the student must submit an abstract of the work that has been completed, a letter of evaluation from a graduate faculty member familiar with the work, and information on the meeting for which the student(s) plan to present the work. Students must submit their own application.

The Office of the CVM Dean, or its assignees, will review all applicants and make the awards. Awards may be granted multiple times each budget year depending on available funds.

Participation in DVM Courses

Participation in DVM-level courses is dependent on past academic performance, capacity, and adhering to ethical and behavioral standards. Prerequisites must be met by the student and sufficient capacity must exist to accommodate the student in the course. Students with superior grades have an obvious advantage when being considered for this privilege. As communicated in the course descriptions of this catalog there are certain courses for which enrollment requires the student to be in a specific degree seeking program and are not open to any other students.

Academic Performance in Professional Courses

If a grade of "B" or better is earned in DVM-level courses, students who are accepted into the LMU-CVM DVM program will not have to repeat the classes during their first year at LMU-CVM. This will allow students who are accepted into the LMU-CVM  to enter with up to 10 earned credits. During their first year in the CVM they may apply to be considered as Veterinary Teaching Assistants and Tutors.

These credits will be considered transfer credits, and thus any student who transfers credits from the VBMS program into the LMU-CVM DVM program will not be eligible for Valedictorian or Salutatorian awards. See the LMU-CVM Student Handbook for more information.

Guaranteed Interview to LMU-CVM DVM Program

Students who achieve a cumulative 3.0+ graduate GPA over at least 15 credits in the VBMS program and complete their Veterinary Medical College Application Services (VMCAS) application and apply to LMU-CVM will be granted an interview with the LMU-CVM.

Students who perform below the 3.0+ graduate GPA standard in a 15-credit hour semester will not receive a guaranteed interview. Students placed on academic probation should not expect an interview to the LMU-CVM DVM program.

An interview does not guarantee admission the the LMU-CVM DVM program, or any other professional program at any other institution.

VBMS Addendum to LMU-CVM Leaves of Absence Policy

For a student in the thesis track of the VBMS program, the petition for a leave of absence should be supported by the supervisory committee, affirming that the student is at a stage in their program where they may return and continue the approved thesis research or will be allowed to propose another research topic on return to active status in the program. If the supervisory committee is not supportive of continuation after the leave of absence, the student will need to request a different supervisory committee on return to active student status. If a supervisory committee cannot be assembled for the student, the student will be advised to complete a different major in the program or discontinue the graduate program.

Maximum Timeframe for Program Completion

Students must complete their studies within two (2) years after initial registration, unless they are dually enrolled in a professional program. Students in the VBMS thesis track must complete all requirements within three (3) years of full-time enrollment or five (5) years part-time enrollment after initial registration.

A request for an extension requires the approval of the VBMS Graduate Council and the LMU-CVM Dean.

The student bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring completion of all graduation requirements.

VBMS Program Committees

Veterinary Biomedical Science Admissions Committee

When reviewing application files, the committee looks at numerous applicant criteria including undergraduate/graduate coursework, letters of recommendation, essay, personal statement, and any other pertinent materials that may be included with the file.  The committee may consist of faculty members from collaborating programs, including LMU-CVM and the School of Mathematics and Sciences; the Program Director; or other representative from the Graduate Council.

Veterinary Biomedical Science Thesis Supervisory Committees

The appointment of all Thesis Supervisory Committee members is made by the CVM Dean upon recommendation and agreement by the Thesis Faculty Advisor and graduate student.  The committee consists of members with relevant expertise to support the student's research topic and includes the Chair (CVM faculty) and a minimum of 2 additional graduate faculty members, with at least one chosen from CVM faculty.  Additional information about this committee and thesis guidelines are found in the M.S. Thesis Guidebook.