Holding a letter of reasonable assurance of accreditation, the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is on pace to enroll its inaugural class in fall 2021.
The green light from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education was followed quickly by word that Texas Tech will begin accepting student applications Sept. 30. Like Texas A&M University, which hosts the state’s other DVM program, Texas Tech will use the Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service rather than the national Veterinary Medical College Application Service.
The Texas Tech program will be centered in Amarillo, 120 miles north of the main campus in Lubbock. Sixty students are expected to join the inaugural class, paying in-state tuition and fees of $22,000 or, if out of state, $32,800.
The four-year curriculum is designed to encourage students to practice rural or large animal medicine. In their final year, students will get hands-on clinical training both on campus and through partner veterinary practices.
Texas Tech announced the accreditation news Sept. 22.
“A talented, committed and focused team made this amazing accomplishment possible,” said Guy Loneragan, BVSc, Ph.D., dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “This team extended well beyond the school and well beyond our wonderful university. It included whole communities, veterinarians from across Texas, our legislative delegation and by so many more.”
The letter of reasonable assurance of accreditation is expected to be followed by provisional accreditation within the next year and then by full accreditation by the time the first class graduates in 2025.
A 185,000-square-foot, two-story academic building is under construction in Amarillo, and a large animal facility called Mariposa Station is located two miles away. About 30 faculty and staff members have been hired, and more are on the way.
Texas Tech will be the third of three veterinary schools to open within 12 months. Students enrolled this fall at the University of Arizona and Long Island University.
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