Why Two Audits?
If you are Pre-Vet and are also completing a degree in a specific major, you know that when you request an audit through MyRed, the results will produce access to two different audits: Your major degree audit and an audit called NDEG PVET. You will find that both I and your major advisor are listed as advisors on both your degree audit and your NDEG PVET audit. Since I am listed as your advisor on both audits, can I be your advisor for major advising and NDEG PVET advising? No. I provide academic advising for all things PVET including course sequencing for admission requirements of College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) programs, providing resources to help you with your VMCAS application, how to find leadership, internship, research and animal experience, useful resources for academic performance, and more.
Your major advisor is responsible to lift advising holds, help you plan courses for the upcoming semester during Priority Registration (or better yet, before Priority Registration), help with paperwork for course substitutions and waivers, academic recovery planning, graduation planning, and ensuring completion of degree and major requirements. I don’t serve in this capacity with the exception of advising Freshmen and Sophomore Animal Science majors who are in the Vet Animal Science option. These students will see me listed as their Major/Degree Advisor, and as their Pre-Vet Advisor; if that’s you, then you would see me for both Pre-Vet advising and major advising.
Your Degree Audit: The key to understanding degree requirements.
If you are in a degree bearing major such as Animal Science, Fisheries and Wildlife, Veterinary Biomedical Science, Biological Science, etc. then your degree audit reflects the requirements you need to complete to earn a degree in your chosen major, showing requirements you’ve completed toward your degree and remaining degree requirements you have yet to complete. If you request an audit, under Degree Program you will see that your degree bearing major audit will have a “B” noted, such as B1FWFWL, for Fisheries and Wildlife majors, BASASCI for Animal Science majors, BS Biological Science for Biology majors and so on.
The NDEG PVET audit
The NDEG PVET audit was intended to guide students regarding courses commonly required by vet schools. However, since the NDEG PVET audit is formatted the same way in which degree audits are, it’s confusing because it looks like courses listed on the NDEG PVET audit are required for graduation.
Guess what? They’re not!
NDEG PVET audits, in and of themselves, DO NOT reflect degree requirements, because Pre-Vet is a “non-degree bearing” major. You can’t earn a bachelor's degree in Pre-Vet at UNL. You can remember this by considering the name of your Pre-Vet Audit: NDEG PVET. NDEG stands for non-degree.
Your NDEG PVET audit is an advising tool for course planning as it pertains to common course prerequisites required for admission to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programs. Keep in mind that even though the NDEG PVET audit is formatted the same way degree audits are with green checkmarks reflecting completed “requirements”, blue dots indicating “required” courses in progress, and red X’s indicating remaining “requirements”, courses on your NDEG PVET are NOT REQUIRED. While there may be overlap on the NDEG PVET audit with requirements for the degree (such as certain ACE courses, LIFE 120/120L & LIFE 121&121L, etc.) NOTHING listed as “required” on your PVET audit is “required” FOR PVET.
For example if you are in a major that doesn’t require Bios 312 & 314 (Microbiology and lab) and you are applying to vet programs that don’t require microbiology, you don’t need to take it. You will see a “red X” on the NDEG PVET audit, but it doesn’t matter. Since the NDEG PVET audit doesn’t reflect requirements for anything pertaining to graduation, you don’t need to take Bios 312 & 314.
Again, the NDEG PVET audit was intended to guide students regarding courses commonly required by vet schools.
Does this mean you don’t need to do any of the courses listed on your NDEG audit? Technically yes. But in reality, you’ll end up doing some of the courses listed on the NDEG PVET audit…not for completion of NDEG PVET “requirements” , but for your degree requirements.
THE TAKAWAY: Pay attention to your major audit (not the NDEG PVET audit) to know what you need to complete to earn a degree.