UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine has again received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education.
The AVMA COE uses clearly defined standards for accreditation to evaluate D.V.M. education programs, including areas of organization, physical facilities and equipment, clinical resources, library and information resources, programs and curriculum, admissions policies, faculty qualifications and research programs. The standards are interpreted and applied by the COE to each college in relation to its mission.
The accreditation process takes about one year. This includes a six-month self-study that is reviewed by the site team prior to a five-day visit to the college. After the visit, the site team files a report to the AVMA COE, and six to nine months later the COE votes on whether to award full accreditation or limited accreditation.
The accreditation review occurs every seven years for fully accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. Every veterinary school in the nation is required to go through this process to receive accreditation; there are currently 28 veterinary schools in the U.S. in addition to schools in Canada and the U.K. that qualify.