When members of the Class of 2031 arrive at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine for their first semester in fall 2027, they will be the inaugural class to learn under a revitalized curriculum currently under development by educators. 

The college began envisioning a revitalization of its Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program curriculum in 2018 and began the final implementation in 2023 using a phased approach. For each of the three phases, a task force has led efforts to engage the college’s community members and partners to help define the knowledge and skills vital for readying and empowering future generations of veterinarians. 

“New graduates need to manage clinical responsibility earlier, communicate effectively within care teams, and navigate business and ethical considerations across practice and community settings,” says Erin Burton, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs. “These realities prompted us to ask: What does it truly mean to be a ‘practice-ready graduate’? This question is what drives the revitalization of the DVM curriculum.”

The program’s last curriculum revision was fully implemented in 2017, and accreditation requirements task the college with reviewing the curriculum every seven years. Changes to learning approaches and the need to stay relevant in an ever-evolving field are among the factors driving the latest revision.

Preparing for practice

The main goal of the revitalized curriculum is to ensure every DVM student graduating from the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) leaves with the mantle of practice-ready veterinarian—a clinician who has the competencies and confidence required to perform common veterinary activities across multiple species seen in individual and population animal practices. 

This will be achieved through a three-stage approach that builds upon the competencies developed in the previous stage. 

The first stage focuses on the foundations of health and welfare. Skills and knowledge developed in this stage can include creating basic diagnostic and treatment plans, incorporating animal welfare and economic considerations, and applying management principles to healthy patients. 

Next, stage two covers management of diseases. To achieve success in this stage, students are expected to diagnose and manage common diseases; adjust care and communication plans based on client needs, welfare, and economic factors; and communicate preventative care and management plans. 

The final stage aims to produce a competent and confident team member who can analyze patient data to solve complex challenges; lead patient care teams with tailored, comprehensive plans; and apply practice management and demonstrate business acumen. 

The competencies and outcomes for each stage have been informed by contributors both inside and outside of the college. Practitioners, students, faculty, staff, and alumni helped shape the curriculum through surveys, facilitated discussions, and open feedback hosted on a website 

“Contributors were encouraged to reflect on practice demands and what competence looks like in everyday clinical work,” says Debra Freedman, assistant dean of pre-clinical sciences. “Additionally, they were asked to consider where graduates excel and where they encounter challenges. Their insights informed and refined our early proposals.”

Next steps

Now in its third phase, the curriculum revitalization remains on track for a fall 2027 rollout. 

The initiatives’ most recent milestone was a pivotal one.  All faculty, teaching technicians, and instructors were asked to weigh in on the proposed draft curriculum framework via vote. 

“You can liken it to building a house,” says David Brown, pharmacology professor and a member of the third task force. “Right now, we aren't picking out paint colors or furniture—we are looking at the architectural blueprint. This vote concerns the framework, not the interior details. We are determining whether the overall structure—the blueprint—is sufficient enough to proceed toward building the content of the curriculum.”

Voting concluded in mid-May, with 90 percent of participating instructors voting to move forward with the framework.

With this green light, the third task force will continue its work of designing the program curriculum by drilling down into details such as content, readings and assessments. 

You can follow the revitalization’s progress on its website.