Another doctoral program, the school’s fourth, has been approved for Murray State University.
Officials with Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education confirmed a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program for the Racers Friday morning — concluding a two-year planning and preparation phase that required local, regional and state legislative supports.
The program had received preliminary approval earlier this week through the CPE’s Academic and Strategic Initiatives Committee, and in a press release that was sent to current students and faculty January 26, MSU President Ron Patterson called the measure a “significant step forward” after Dr. Laura Ken Hoffman — its future dean — did “a fantastic job in presenting the DVM program.”
MSU applied for the DVM program following the passage of Senate Bill 77 in 2025, and construction of a new facility remains in critical planning stages.
With currently more than 140 undergraduate programs in its profile, alongside 40-plus graduate degrees, Murray State University is now poised with another educational opportunity inside the Missouri Valley Conference.
In a statement from school leadership Friday afternoon, MSU believes the program will “greatly benefit the region and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in the areas of workforce development, economic growth and industry needs.”
Specifically, MSU’s next steps are to obtain American Veterinary Medical Association program accreditation, and expectations are for the first class of DVM students to be enrolled beginning Fall 2028.
According to the Council for Postsecondary Education, Murray State is one of eight public universities in Kentucky — where six-year graduate rates are currently at 58%, and more than 30,000 degrees were awarded in Academic Year 2023.
At present, MSU has doctoral programs in education, English and nursing.
Murray State University, The Murray Sentinel, The Murray State News and The Murray Ledger & Times contributed to this report.
Current Programs: Academic Programs at Murray State University
