Degree Requirements and Elective Courses

University General Education (GenEd) Requirements

All students are required to complete the General Education Experience. The purpose of the GenEd Requirement is to stretch students’ minds, broaden their experiences, and prepare them for college experiences and subsequent professional training, careers and productive lives, community engagement and informed citizenship, a diverse and rapidly changing world, and a lifetime of learning. It is important that you plan your GenEd courses carefully with the help of your academic advisor so that you are choosing subjects that interest you and that will create a unifying experience for you. You do not need to complete your GenEd courses at the start of your college career; plan to distribute them throughout your four years. Keep in mind that Gen Ed courses cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Students can track their GenEd requirements through their Academic Requirements Report, available on the menu at the left-hand side of their Student Center in SPIRE. Classes in the shopping cart will be listed under the appropriate GenEd with a blue star icon so that students can double-check that the course fulfills the requirement before they register.  Many of a student’s GenEd requirements will be fulfilled by classes that students are taking to fulfill major requirements. The GenEd requirements remaining that are chosen by the student are:  

One  -  4 credit Historical Studies (HS)

One  -  4 credit Literature or Art (AL or AT)

One  -  4 credit Social & Behavioral Studies (SB)

Of these three classes, two should also qualify for the United States diversity requirement (e.g. HSDU, ALDU, ATDU, or SBDU) or the Global diversity requirement (e.g. HSDG, ALDG, ATDG, or SBDG). 

Students can search for classes to fulfill specific GenEd requirements in the SPIRE- Course Guide. Search for Classes, uncheck "Show open classes only," and choose three options: e.g. (1) Course number greater than or equal to 100, (2) Session- University, (3) GenEd category.

Students can also transfer in GenEd courses taken at other universities in the United States or abroad by filling out and submitting the Prior Approval form to the undergraduate registrar’s office, 213 Whitmore Administration Building.

The GenEd requirements for students transferring to UMass Amherst after fall 2010 are: one 4-credit Historical Studies (HS); one 3-credit Arts & Literature (AL or AT);  one 3-credit Social & Behavioral Science (SB) and two additional GenEd classes (AL, AT, BS, HS, I, PS, R1, R2, SB, SI). Of these classes, two should also qualify for the United States diversity requirement (e.g. HSDU, ALDU, ATDU, or SBDU) or the Global diversity requirement (e.g. HSDG, ADLG, ATDG, or SBDG). The integrative experience (IE) requirement is waived for students who transfer in greater than or equal to 57 credits. Students who transfer in less than 57 credits and are not able to take an IE class before graduation can apply to the College of Natural Sciences dean for a waiver of the IE requirement.

Integrative Experience Requirement - The upper-division IE provides a structured context for students to reflect on their own learning and explore the connections between the broad exposure provided by General Education and the more focused exposure of their major. This requirement can be fulfilled by either ANIMLSCI 494GI or ANIMLSCI 494EI. Commonwealth Honors College students should follow honors procedures for Honors 499Y and 499T with ANIMLSCI 494TI.

ANIMLSCI 494GI – IE - Good Intentions (spring) 3 credits
Focuses on understanding and solving problems that have arisen, at least in part, from human-animal interactions. While these interactions frequently originate with the best of intentions, the consequences are often unexpected and not very good. Through reading primary peer-reviewed literature as well as web postings, students will acquire specific knowledge, which, combined with information from their previous courses in their major and general education classes, will form the basis for group and class discussions.

ANIMLSCI 494EI – IE - One Health (fall) 3 credits
The One Health concept recognizes that the health of humans, animals, and the environment is interdependent and acknowledges that a collaborative effort from multiple disciplines is necessary to solve the complex health problems facing society today. This transdisciplinary approach can be applied at the local, regional, national, and international levels to achieve the most favorable health outcomes. Students in this course will analyze contemporary global health topics and integrate current and previous learning experiences to identify solutions to real-world problems.

Major Course Requirements

Students are encouraged to evaluate their academic abilities and consider upgrading the basic requirements to more advanced levels, which are required for entrance into professional and graduate schools. These advanced levels are presented in the "required for Pre-Veterinary" column below.

Basic Science Core

Animal Science Core

*Additional requirements apply to each Animal Science concentration/subplan.

Related courses that can be taken in other departments

Students may meet their elective requirements by taking classes in departments other than veterinary and animal sciences. The following list is for informational purposes only. Students should check all prerequisites. Students should note that some classes are only offered in the spring or fall semester and some are only offered in alternate years. Students should consult with their advisor before choosing courses that are not listed.

Graduate Level Courses

Graduate-level courses are open to honors students with appropriate academic backgrounds and fulfill requirements for honors courses. Students with an interest in biotechnology and research emphasis are particularly encouraged to take these as well as students interested in the masters program. 

Monitoring Your Degree Progress in SPIRE

Students monitor their degree progress by logging on to SPIRE using their i.d. and password. SPIRE provides a current Academic Requirements Report (ARR) which includes all courses completed, all transfer courses accepted and what they were applied towards, grades and credit hours earned, as well as indicating outstanding university requirements in RED.  Before meeting with their departmental academic advisor, students should plan their classes and have noted all university GenEd requirements that are outstanding.

Course Substitutions and Waivers

Students must meet the requirements listed for their major and concentration as listed in their ARR in order to be cleared for graduation by the veterinary and animal sciences department. To apply for approval of a course substitution, or in extenuating circumstances, a waiver, students must fill out an application available on our forms page. The student’s advisor includes a statement and the application is considered by the departmental curriculum committee.

Courses taken at outside universities to meet graduation requirements must be pre-approved. There are two forms for domestic transfer courses: Prior approval for Completing Senior Year in Absentia (for seniors and any part of the senior year) and Prior Approval for Transfer Course Work. These forms are available on the CNS website. An International Prior Approval form can be obtained from the Office of Global Affairs. If the course to be transferred has not previously been approved for all UMass students by the Registrar’s Office and is to be used to fulfill major requirements, the transfer course must be pre-approved by the student’s advisor on the appropriate form. The student is responsible for supplying the course description, syllabus, and the name of the textbook, so the student’s advisor can evaluate whether the course to be transferred is the equivalent of the course required by the major. Prior approval of transfer is important to expedite the successful transfer of courses. A minimum C- grade in the course to be transferred is required.

Access information on AP and IB credits.

UMass does not allow students to take most courses multiple times for credits. For example, a student can’t transfer in and receive credit for an AP calculus course and then also receive credit for the same level calculus course taken at UMass. Students can petition the registrar to remove AP course credits if they decide they want to retake a course at UMass for which they have previously received AP credits.

International Baccalaureate – IB credit will be awarded to those students who score a 4–7 on the higher level IB exams. Official scores should be sent to the Admissions Office.