The University of Arizona has received approval to establish the state's first public College of Veterinary Medicine.
The college will offer a three-year program with two years of active learning and one year of clinical rotation.
Instead of the traditional approach centered on a teaching hospital, the college will adopt the newer distributed model involving training at UA facilities and private and corporate practices.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has issued the college a Letter of Reasonable Assurance, the first step in accreditation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated four regions of Arizona as Veterinary Services Shortage Situations, including portions of Maricopa, Pinal, Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz, Navajo, southern Apache and Yuma counties.
