About the College

The College of Veterinary Medicine was established by an act of the Tennessee Legislature in 1974. The College is part of the University of Tennessee statewide system and is located on the Agricultural Campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. 

Mission Statement

The mission of the College of Veterinary Medicine encompasses the areas of teaching, research, and service and as such: 

• prepares veterinary students for both traditional and non-traditional careers in veterinary medicine, including non-clinical veterinary medicine 
• promotes discovery and graduate training in veterinary medicine and public health to constantly improve the knowledge base emphasizing the diverse array of disciplines 
• provides comprehensive and high quality diagnostic and clinical services to our clients, collaborators, and veterinary practitioners in the state and nation 
• develops and maintains cutting edge extramurally funded research programs that will improve human and animal health 
• shifts the traditional focus on biomedical research in human and animal diseases in animal models more toward molecular biology and signal transduction research to regain a leading role in biomedical research by venturing into the molecular aspects of diseases 
• advances the practice of veterinary medicine by maintaining the standard of excellence in veterinary students, graduate veterinarians, and lay public in all disciplines relating to large animals, excellence in maintenance of animal health, and promotion of achievement and excellence in the discovery of new knowledge
• educates veterinary students and graduate veterinarians to meet the needs of the animal owning public while providing advanced patient care and generating new knowledge through basic and applied research 
• maintains faculty and staff who are motivated and enthusiastically involved in the education of veterinary students 
• provides training for post graduate veterinarians in clinical specialties to prepare for a future in the veterinary profession 
• provides veterinary practitioners with continuing education to improve clinical knowledge and skills in new and advanced techniques 
• serves as a resource for clients and veterinarians 
• operates a facility that is properly equipped and staffed to provide advanced diagnostic and patient care 
• maintains faculty and staff who are scientifically knowledgeable and motivated to conduct research and generate new knowledge that will lead to improved animal health 
• attains a superior level of excellence in teaching and scholarship among all faculty in the multi-disciplines 
• has one of the finest zoological and avian medicine program in the world 
• has a premier comprehensive veterinary diagnostic service 

Facilities

The Clyde M. York Veterinary Medicine Building on the agricultural campus houses the Departments of Comparative Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Small Animal Clinical Sciences, and Pathology. Members of the Microbiology faculty have offices and laboratory space in the Walters Life Sciences building on the East Campus. 

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Agriculture/Veterinary Medicine Library are also contained within this modern structure of 246,000 gross square feet. In 1992, the College developed a modern computer laboratory for student use. In addition to word processing and computer assisted diagnostic packages, innovative educational programs including interactive video discs, computerized testing and practice management software are available.

The College has research facilities on Cherokee Farm adjacent to the UT Medical Center at Knoxville. Satellite teaching- research facilities are located in Middle and West Tennessee.

Internships and Residencies

Part of the college's purpose is to provide post-DVM educational opportunities in the form of residencies and internships. The UT residency and internship programs emphasize post-DVM clinical education. Internships are one-year programs offering veterinarians broad-based clinical exposure to areas that include surgery, medicine, radiology, emergency medicine, intensive care, ambulatory services, theriogenology and anesthesia. Residents participate in a three-year program, specializing in a particular clinical area. At the completion of the 1992 residency application process, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine was among the top three choices of all U.S. veterinary schools nationally for residency programs, based on the number of resident applicants stating a preference for a particular institution. 

Because of its proximity to wildlife and exotic animal populations, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine can offer a wide range of internship and residency programs for post- DVM education. The college is one of four veterinary schools in the U.S. offering a residency program in zoological animal medicine and is one of approximately five U.S. schools with a program dedicated to the care of exotic animals, caged birds, non-traditional pets and captive wildlife. 

Public Service

The College of Veterinary Medicine provides important services to the clients/animals/citizens of Tennessee and impact their general well being. Public Service includes providing veterinary practitioners with continuing education programs, caring for injured wild animals or injured abandoned domestic animals and providing veterinarians with diagnostic and consultation services. 

Public service also includes educating the public about animals, supporting programs exploring the emotional bond between humans and animals and providing health care for assistance dogs for the hearing or visually impaired, police dogs or other service dogs at cost, and providing emergency medical care during disaster situations. 

Funds for Abandoned, Injured Animals

Two funds at the college help provide for the care of injured wildlife and abandoned injured domestic animals. More than 600 such animals are brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital annually. The Companion Animal Fund and the Wild Animal Fund, established by the college in 1985 and 1990, respectively, seek donations to offset the costs of treating these animals. Since being established, the two funds have received contributions from over 300 concerned individuals.