WIMU Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine
Why WIMU Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine?
Montana State University (MSU) has joined the University of Idaho (UI) and Utah State University (USU) as partners with Washington State University (WSU) in its Regional Program in Veterinary Medical Education to serve the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. This innovative and highly successful program, now known as the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah (WIMU) Regional Program, has served hundreds of Northwest and Northern Rockies students for nearly 40 years.
The WIMU regional program serves students interested in all facets of the veterinary profession, whether they are interested in companion animals, horses, or livestock, private practice, industry, or academia, or are unsure. The opportunities available for DVM education in the WIMU regional program prepare graduates for entry into any of the exciting dimensions of veterinary medicine.
Montana students will spend their first year in Bozeman at Montana State University.* MSU faculty members teach the first-year curriculum, which includes Anatomy, Histology, Physiology, Neuroscience, Immunology, General Pathology, Professionalism and Ethics, Introduction to Clinics, and Introduction to Surgery. The majority of WIMU faculty are experienced veterinarians, and several have earned both the DVM and Ph.D. degrees.
Classroom and clinical study will continue in years 2 and 3 on WSU’s Pullman campus. Students then have the opportunity to learn in a wide network of clinical placements throughout the four-state region in the 4th year.
Please see our prospective student website for more information on the WIMU Regional Program through the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Why apply to the WIMU Program?
Small Class Size, Big Network
The small class sizes at the Montana State University campus will provide very personalized attention to student success while offering the same opportunities for professional growth and the development of clinical, leadership, and interpersonal skills as afforded all students across the Regional Program.
- Montana’s small class size provides a friendly atmosphere, allowing you to really get to know your professors and receive one-on-one instruction.
- Students at the MSU location will learn with faculty and classmates in Bozeman, Logan, and Pullman through faculty and student exchanges, real-time video conferencing, and lectures.
- Montana students will have access to all other major educational sites in the cooperative network, including shelter programs in Seattle, Washington, and Boise, Idaho; the satellite small animal specialty clinic in Spokane, Washington; the Caine Livestock Center in Caldwell, Idaho, the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman, Washington, the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Logan, Utah, and the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health in Pullman, Washington. Students will also have access to various basic and clinical research opportunities throughout this network of four university partners.
Hands-on Experience
Students in the Regional Program gain hands-on experience early in the program. Courses in client communication, diagnostic challenges, and business skills give our students the tools they need to succeed.
- Local practitioners will provide personal hands-on experience for students on the Montana State University campus.
- Montana specialists in internal medicine, pathology, radiology, surgery, lab animal medicine, and clinical practice will participate and enrich the first-year curriculum.
- Courses in client communication, diagnostic challenges, and business skills give our students the tools they need to succeed. All students participate in the Cougar Orientation Leadership Experience (COLE), an off-site retreat to promote leadership skills and team building. COLE brings students from different places and sets the foundation for cooperation and teamwork over the next four years.
- The MSU hands-on approach continues through WSU faculty, who encourage students to maximize their time in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and through educational trips relevant to academic programming.
- As part of the Regional Program, Montana students can study in the broader network of clinical practice sites throughout the region as we add more Montana practices and facilities to our fourth-year curriculum.