Make that 32 U.S. veterinary schools.
Long Island University has received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance of accreditation for its College of Veterinary Medicine and will join the University of Arizona in welcoming inaugural classes in fall 2020. Arizona received its letter from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education in mid-October.
Long Island University expects to enroll 100 students annually in a four-year program built on a distributive education model that relies on the teaching of hands-on clinical skills at off-campus sites.
“With our extensive network of research and clinical partners, including pet hospitals, zoos and animal rescues, the entire region has been enthusiastically anticipating approval of the doctor of veterinary medicine program,” said LIU’s veterinary college dean, Carmen Fuentealba, DVM, MS, Ph.D.
The program becomes the fourth in the Northeast after Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University.
“By establishing the New York metropolitan region’s first College of Veterinary Medicine, Long Island University has further added to its reputation as a national teaching and research institution,” state Sen. Jim Gaughran said. “This school will play a critical role in promoting animal health and welfare in conjunction with our region’s leading animal health organizations.”
Tuition costs were not immediately revealed. Student applications are being taken at http://bit.ly/340g4Ya.
Arizona and Long Island University become the nation’s 31st and 32nd veterinary schools. The two last start-ups, at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee and Midwestern University in Arizona, occurred in 2014.