Veterinary Assisting Diploma Courses

Overview of the factors that define contemporary ethical and scientifically based issues facing the animal industry.

Introduction to the functional anatomy and physiological activities governing the animal body; including cells, senses, nerves, skeletal, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary, muscular, reproductive, and endocrinology.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in AGS-113.

Examines the nutritional principles, digestive systems, composition, and nutritional characteristics of common feedstuffs, ration formulation, and recommended animal feeding programs.

This course will cover all aspects of record keeping, reception, and administration skills required in a veterinary hospital. Furthermore, students will become familiarized with a computer software used in a veterinary practice.

This class focuses on reading and interpreting medical charts and records, and conversing with veterinary professionals. It is designed for students to develop a working understanding of the language of veterinary medicine.

This course provides an understanding of the basic principles of anatomy and physiology and health of companion animals. Additionally, the course will offer insight into social behavior and relationships.

This course presents the basic management and production practices for horses including nutrition, health care, reproductive management, facilities and evaluation.

Lecture Hours: 32 Lab Hours: 32

Introduces principles, practices, and decisions impacting swine production.

Lecture Hours: 32 Lab Hours: 32

This course will introduce the principles, practices, and decisions impacting beef cattle production.

Lecture Hours: 32 Lab Hours: 32

This class introduces the student to small animal pharmaceuticals. Learning is centered on the use, dosage, administration, handling, and storage of commonly used drugs used in small and large animal veterinary practices.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in AGS-218.

Composition I emphasizes fluency, thesis-driven organization, the use of supporting details, and research techniques. Writing is approached as a recursive process that includes prewriting strategies, drafting, revising, and editing. The course helps students shape writing to serve readers' needs and define a sense of purpose in their writing. It also gives students strategies for reading college-level material.

Prerequisite(s): Appropriate placement scores or equivalent.

This course focuses on applying the writing process to job application materials and workplace-related written communication.

Lecture Hours: 48

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of C- in ENG-060 or appropriate placement score.

This course is designed to present basic facts of arithmetic including whole numbers, fractions, decimals, powers, roots, English and metric measurement, ratio-proportion, percents, introduction to algebra, introduction to geometry, and applied statistics. Instruction includes use of scientific hand-held calculators and emphasis placed on critical thinking, problem solving skills.

This course provides an introduction to the study of behavior and mental processes with emphasis in such areas as learning, cognition, motivation, personality, behavioral disorder, therapy, and social influence. An understanding of the impact of both theoretical perspectives and experimental evidence on the formulation of the science of human behavior is also stressed. Psychological theories and principles are utilized to explain and predict behavior.

Human Relations is the study of self and social behavior. Emphasis is placed on the understanding and application of social science theories and research for the development of effective interpersonal and organizational relationships.

Lecture Hours: 48

This course surveys the basic principles, concepts, and research findings of social life from small groups to societies. The course examines a range of sociological explanations for the various forms of social behaviors and establishes a basis for reflection and further study in the field.

Lecture Hours: 48

This course provides students with opportunities to gain on-the-job experience in the agriculture, natural resource or horticulture industries. Students will gain an understanding of qualities and skills needed for success. Coordination and guidance will be provided by department instructors.

This is a capstone course that will provide students with the necessary skills and competencies that are needed to successfully perform the duties of a veterinary assistant.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in AGV-154 or instructor approval.

This course introduces the production of Iowa's main cash crops; corn and soybeans. Units include: crop history, crop development, seed selection, fertilization, insect and weed control, harvesting, grain handling, marketing, storage and the economic importance of each crop. New and experimental production practices are discussed for practical application.

This course is designed to make application and use of some materials learned in other courses. Decision making as it deals with the total cropping plan is stressed. An individual will determine from observation weed problems, plant populations, disease problems, insect problems, do yield checks, make recommendations for handling any problems.

This course introduces students to basic concepts in economics, including various aspects of an economy-like agriculture, industry, population, food supply, government policies and physical environmental affect on each other and the economy as a whole. Resources used in agricultural production, organization price determination, supply, demand, and profit modernization is studied.

Presents basic concepts and economics principles related to markets for agricultural inputs and products. Overview of current marketing problems faced by farms and agribusinesses, farm and retail price behavior, structure of markets, food marketing channels, food quality and food safety, and the role of agriculture in the general economy. The implications of consumer preferences at the farm level. Introduction to hedging, futures, and other risk management tools.

This course is designed to enhance students’ abilities in the area of leadership. The course includes activities that enable students to develop skills in communication, problem solving, committee work, and parliamentary procedure. Students may be involved in many local, state and nationally organized activities.

Applies business and economic principles of decision making and problem solving in the management of a farm business. Covers cash flow, partial, enterprise, and whole farm budgeting. Reviews information systems for farm accounting, analysis, and control. Examines obtaining and managing land, capital, and labor resources. Provides alternatives for farm business organization and risk management.

This course introduces students to basic principles of organizing, financing, and managing a business. Including product merchandising and marketing, personnel management, credits, and risk management.

The course teaches the principles of selling with application to agricultural and food related businesses. Reviews attitudes, value systems, and behavioral patterns that relate to agricultural sales. The following concepts will be examined: marketing, selling strategies, preparing for sales calls, making sales presentations, handling objections, and closing sales. The buying or purchasing process will also be analyzed along with evaluating the agri-selling profession.

Provides an overview of precision farming concepts and the tools of precision farming (GPS, GIS and VRT). Introduces the use of each of these tools within the processes of a precision farming system. Provides hands-on activities in the use of these tools. Discusses economic and environmental benefits.

Fundamental processes of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with emphasis in its application to agriculture will be covered. File formats, data base management, spatial analysis, and manipulation of data will be covered thoroughly. Comparisons of GIS and mapping software, and conversions between formats will also be discussed.

This course introduces students to the species and breeds of domestic livestock and development of an appreciation for the principles of livestock production, and issues facing product marketing. Topics include: breeds, basic management and marketing of farm animals, composition, evaluation and marketing of farm animals, composition, evaluation and marketing of animal products; including beef and dairy cattle, horses, goats, poultry, sheep and swine.

This course presents the basic management and production practices for horses including nutrition, health care, reproductive management, facilities and evaluation.

Introduces principles, practices, and decisions impacting swine production.

This course will introduce the principles, practices, and decisions impacting beef cattle production.

An introduction to contemporary practices in the meat industry with a focus on production, processing and preservation of safe, wholesome, nutritious and palatable animal derived products.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in AGS-113.

An introduction to food quality control/assurance and establishment of decision-making processes, looking at potential hazards in the food system along with ways to ensure safety of products. The 3 modules of this course will be 1) Food hazards 2) HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and 3) Analysis for potential contamination.

This course develops the student's potential in livestock selection with emphasis placed on the evaluation of breeding animal as well as market animals.

This is a one semester, liberal arts mathematics course that satisfies the minimum general education requirement for math. The course is designed to impart math skills which are helpful in everyday life as well as to expose students to areas of mathematics they may not have seen before. Topics include problem-solving skills, set theory, algebra, consumer mathematics, probability, and statistics. Other topics may be included.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in MAT-063 or appropriate placement score.

This course provides an intensified study of algebraic techniques and prepares students for future study in mathematics. The central theme is the concept of functions, their properties, graphs and applications. Functions studied include polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of C- in MAT-102 or equivalent placement score.

This one-semester pre-calculus course is intended for the student with a solid algebra background who intends to take calculus. It is also beneficial (but not required) for the student to have a background in trigonometry. The course will emphasize functions using an analytical, numerical, and graphical approach. The student will study linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions along with their applications.

Prerequisite(s): Appropriate Placement Test Scores: ACT Math Score of 25 OR Compass Score of 51-100 in the College Algebra Domain or 31-50 in the Trigonometry Domain.

The second course of a two-semester pre-calculus sequence. Topics include trigonometry and applications, vectors, analytic geometry, and polar and parametric equations.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of C- in MAT-121 or equivalent placement score.

This course is a study of descriptive statistics including graphical representation, central tendency, correlation and regression, intuitive treatment of probability and inferential statistics including hypothesis testing.

Prerequisite(s): MAT-063.

The first in a calculus sequence, this course covers topics including functions and their graphs, limits, derivatives, applications of the derivative, and integrals.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of C- in MAT-128 or MAT-134 or appropriate placement scores (ACT: 27; COMPASS TRIGONOMETRY: 51-100).

A continuation of MAT-210, this course covers topics including integration techniques, applications of integration, infinite series, conic sections, parametric and polar equations.

Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of C- in MAT-210.

This course covers topics including integration and differentiation techniques related to vectors, vector-valued functions, functions of several variables, multiple integration, and vector analysis.

Prerequisite(s): MAT-216.