National VBMA
Business Certificate
The Penn BCP is designed to provide business and vital management skills to supplement to your veterinary school curriculum.
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The BCP is founded on the following four pillars:
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Business Finance
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Business Operations, Management, & Ownership
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Business Leadership Skills
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Career & Personal Development
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Each year PennVBMA hosts lunch talks and evening lectures with these four categories, workshops specific to complete your portfolio, and additional professional events.
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The Penn Business Certificate Program is an opportunity for Penn Vet students to
Penn Veterinary Business
Certificate Requirements
New effective January 2023! Our executive board is extremely excited to be rolling out new BCP requirements. The certificate requirements now call for fewer credits and more flexibility in how students can receive certificate credit.
Find the requirements listed below.
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32 VBMA credits — 8 credits in each of the four Categories
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Honors Portfolio Awarded
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Attendance at the two mandatory lectures (hosted every other year)
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“Understanding Financial Statements”
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“Revenue and Expense Streams"
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The Honors Portfolio
The Honors Portfolio is an additional component of the VBMA certificate program that can be completed to earn the National VBMA certificate with Honors and the Penn Veterinary Business Certificate (VBMA transcript notation).
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Please note that a new Honors Portfolio will be available starting April 1.
At this date the old Honors Portfolio will no longer be available and all partially completed work will be deleted.
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General information on Honors Portfolio submission:
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Students can submit their Honors Portfolio once they have earned at least 8 myVBMA credits in each Category.
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Submissions deadlines occur biannually (April 1st and October 1st). Return times of at least 12 weeks should be expected.
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Resubmissions are completed on a rolling basis.
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Please find the application linked below (or on VBMA.biz and myVBMA)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I only get credit from Penn-VBMA hosted lectures?
No, students can get credit from any event eligible for VBMA credit.
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What is the difference between the Penn Veterinary Medicine Business Certificate and the National VBMA Business Certificate(s)?
As the founding chapter, the Penn Veterinary Medicine Business Certificate predates the National VBMA Certificate Program. Penn students have the unique opportunity to earn both. To receive the transcript notation and VBMA cords, students must acheive the Penn Business Certificate.
The National VBMA Business Certificate Program has two certificate levels: Business Certificate and Business Certificate with Honors. More information can be found on National VBMA’s website.
By achieving the Penn Veterinary Medicine Business Certificate, students would also fulfill the requirements for the National VBMA Business Certificate with Honors.
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How can I check my certificate progress?
To view the VBMA credits you have earned (and whether you have attended the required courses), navigate to the myVBMA homepage > Attendance Records.
The Honors Portfolio can be found by navigating to the myVBMA homepage > Portfolio Dashboard.