Murray State University took yet another step Friday toward establishing what would be the first veterinary college in Kentucky.
In the wake of the Council on Postsecondary Education approving the school’s Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program in January, MSU’s Board of Regents formally voted during its winter quarterly meeting to create the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The program still has a long way to go before it can start accepting students, though. The next major step for the university is to secure accreditation for the college through the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
Dr. Laura Hoffman, the dean appointed to lead the proposed college, said university officials sent a letter to the AVMA Council on Education to request an on-site consultation immediately after the school received CPE approval.
Hoffman said that, once the AVMA meets in March, the university should be informed of the date that in-person consultation — which officially kicks off the multi-year accreditation process — can begin. After the consultation, MSU must then submit a self-study, which has already been in the works for several months.
Once that self-study is turned in to the AVMA, the veterinary group would then provide a detailed report suggesting improvements for the university’s DVM program and discuss it during a comprehensive site visit. Afterwards, the university would need to receive a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the AVMA in order to begin recruiting the initial cohort of students to the program. Once those students begin classes, the College of Veterinary Medicine would obtain provisional accreditation lasting for five years.
If Murray State is granted that provisional accreditation, the CPE said the first cohort of students seeking veterinary medicine degrees could be admitted to the western Kentucky university as early as fall 2028.
Shelby Bloomer is a senior studying professional writing and journalism at Murray State. She enjoys writing, listening to music, spending time with friends, and her pet bird.
