Veterinary Technology Program

Do you want to work with animals in a clinical setting without going through the rigorous coursework for veterinary school? Perhaps you don’t want to spend an additional four years in school after undergrad or add up to $140,000 to your debt.  The Veterinary Technology Joint Program might be a perfect fit if this sounds like you.  This program of study is designed so that Ohio State Animal Science majors can earn their Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, while also pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology at Columbus State Community College (CSCC).  All students in the program will graduate from both institutions in the same semester.

The joint program is derived from an articulation agreement between CSCC’s Veterinary Technology Program and OSU’s Department of Animal Sciences. The CSCC program is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and arguably the best veterinary technology program in the state of Ohio.  This program of study will allow students to obtain their certification or licensure by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners so they can perform the duties of a veterinary technician. In addition, the Bachelor of Science degree will allow students to pursue the typical careers available to Animal Science majors in science, animal behavior, management in the pet store industries, veterinary practices, or research laboratories, animal photography and communications, animal education, or even pharmaceutical sales.   In other words, you have several career options!

Degree Sheet and 4-Year Plans:
Below is the Veterinary Technology Joint Program degree sheet and 4-year plan.  All students in the program will graduate from The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College in the same spring semester of the year they plan to graduate.

Veterinary Technology Degree Sheet and 4-Year Plan

Requirements:

Mandatory Information Sessions:
Students must attend an information session at The Ohio State University in the fall of their freshman year and then apply to CSCC online at: http://www.cscc.edu/ no later than January 15th.  Traditionally, students apply to the program as a freshman and start the program as a sophomore; however, sophomores can apply to the program with the understanding that they will be on a 5-year track plan to graduation.  Once students are accepted, they will be notified of a mandatory meeting that will be held at Columbus State Community College in the spring.  At that meeting students will register for autumn semester CSCC courses and tour the Veterinary Technology Building.  In addition, students are required to fulfill the CSCC Health requirements, pass a drug test and background check, and provide OSU transcripts (along with all other college transcripts) to CSCC.

Veterinary Technology Admissions Exam:
Students applying to the joint program will be required to take the Health Occupations Basic Entrance Test (HOBET) and submit their score prior to the January 15th deadline.  The HOBET is a computerized, timed exam which evaluates academic and social skills in seven areas: math skills, reading comprehension for science textbooks, reading rate, test-taking skills, in addition to social interaction, stress level profile, and learning style.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the HOBET study guide in preparation for taking the test.

To register to take the HOBET, contact the ACT Skills/MAX Test Center at Columbus State Community College (614) 287-5750.  The HOBET is offered Monday-Friday, and will cost approximately $45.00 the first time, payable at the Cashier’s Office in Rhodes Hall on the Columbus State Community College campus.  Students are allowed to take the test up to three times; however, they must wait two months between repeated tests.

GPA and Course Requirements:
A 2.5 cumulative grade point average or better is required for the joint program.  In addition, students are required to have the following courses complete prior to starting the joint program in the autumn semester of their sophomore year:

• ENGL 1110 (Writing Level I)
• MATH 1148 (College Algebra)
• CHEM 1210 (General Chemistry I)
• BIO 1113 (General Biology I)
• ANIMSCI 2200.01 and 2200.02 (Introduction to Animal Sciences lecture and laboratory)

Admission Selection Process:
All students that have applied by the January 15th deadline will be screened for GPA (2.5 cumulative or better), freshman or sophomore rank (junior or senior rank students are not eligible for the joint program), and that they have submitted a HOBET score.  Eligible applicants will then be sorted by their HOBET score, and the top 90 test scores will be admitted to the Columbus State Community College Veterinary Technology Program. OSU students wishing to join the joint program with CSCC will need to have one of the top 90 HOBET test scores to be admitted to the program.

Class Location:
Students will spend their first year on The Ohio State University campus as an Animal Sciences major, and their sophomore through senior years will be spent at both OSU and CSCC. The campuses are less than 15 minutes apart. In addition, all program students will complete summer coursework after their sophomore year.

Tuition and Fees:
While students are in the joint program their sophomore, junior and senior years, they will be part-time at both institutions, OSU and CSCC. During this time, students will be responsible for paying part-time tuition and fees to both institutions at the rate that each institution designates.  When filling out the FAFSA application, students should only declare The Ohio State University as their institution, even though they will be be part-time at CSCC.  This allows students to maximize their aid, as Ohio State is more expensive to attend.  In addition, this can cause financial aid problems if two institutions are listed on the FAFSA.

Financial Aid Consortium:
Students with financial aid or scholarships that require full-time enrollment will need to utilize the Financial Aid Consortium.  The consortium must be filled out each semester if students intend to be enrolled in less than 12 hours at Ohio State the following semester.  All consortiums will initially be filled out in Plumb Hall 116 by the 12th Friday of the semester and faxed to the appropriate financial aid office. To read more about the Financial Aid Consortium, see: http://sfa.osu.edu/forms/index.asp?tab=d

Transcripts:
An official transcript of your CSCC coursework must be sent to OSU after each semester is complete with assigned grades. Failure to send your transcript may delay/prevent students from graduating on time. are requested through the CSCC Records and Registration Department.  The transcript should be sent to:

Dr. Jill Pfister, Assistant Dean
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
2120 Fyffe Rd., 100 Agricultural Administration Building
Columbus, OH 43210

Clinical Experiences:
Clinical experiences are scheduled through the CSCC veterinary technology program advisors. They will place students at a clinic or hospital based on student preference and space availability. All students will complete nearly 500 hours of clinical experience.  The clinical experiences are broken down over the senior year into 3 private site experiences in addition to an experience at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. Students will obtain 4 credit hours of Animal Sciences 3189 internship credit for the clinical experiences and they will not need to seek a traditional internship through the Department of Animal Sciences to graduate.

Important Contacts:

Courses
The courses you take will teach you about animal anatomy and physiology, health, nutrition, genetics, and behavior. Your learning experiences at The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College are very hands on and enable you to work with a variety of animals.  With state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, the opportunities to learn are endless.

Joint Program Minor Replacement

Students that are enrolled in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University are all required to complete a minor to graduate. However, students that are in the Veterinary Technology Joint Program will complete a set of courses required for the program that will fulfill that minor requirement.