Faculty of Veterinary Science : Guide to Courses

• Objectives of the Faculty
• Departments and centres of the Faculty
• Careers for Veterinary Science graduates
• Courses offered
• Options for further study
• Bachelor of Veterinary Science
• Veterinary Science degree
• Bachelor of Animal Science
• General course information (BVSc and BAnimSc)

Scots veterinarian William Tyson Kendall established Australia's first Veterinary College, a private school for training veterinarians in Melbourne, in 1888. The building still stands in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. When the College closed in 1908 its task was taken on by the University of Melbourne and, in 1909, the Faculty of Veterinary Science was established.

The Faculty conducts undergraduate and higher degree courses and research. It produces about 50 new Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) graduates and ten to fifteen graduates in higher degrees a year.

The Faculty also provides veterinary services through its veterinary clinic and hospital and consultative arrangements with livestock industries.

The first and second years of the BVSc course are taught at the Faculty's Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Parkville, on a site called the Veterinary Precinct.

The third and fourth years are taught in the Veterinary Clinical Centre at Werribee, set up in 1964 on Department of Agriculture State Research Farm land. Students benefit from being near the Melbourne Water Farm and the Agricultural Research Institute (formerly the State Research Farm), with ready access to sheep and cattle farms in the western part of the State, a large population of horses and a growing urban community.

The general objectives of the Faculty of Veterinary Science are to:

• provide, at the highest international level, programs of education, postgraduate training and research in veterinary science, so that graduates are equipped with skills which allow them to develop during their careers;

• provide service to the community and the veterinary profession in terms of veterinary expertise in animal health, animal welfare, animal production, and knowledge, to ensure the quality and safety of animal products;

• continue to develop collaborative arrangements, in both teaching and research in veterinary science, with related institutions in Australia and internationally, with particular reference to Asia;

• identify emerging concerns of the Australian and international communities in which the Faculty of Veterinary Science has special knowledge and skills, and determine the appropriate responses to these concerns.

The Department of Veterinary Science is responsible for the teaching and research in the Faculty.

The Veterinary Clinic and Hospital is also a department within the Faculty. It is responsible for providing the environment for undergraduate and postgraduate students to receive clinical instruction and training or undertake research. It offers fee based veterinary medical, surgical and pathological consultative services to the public. Many animals are referred by other veterinary practices and institutions for specialist advice and assistance. Contacts with animal owners total more than 80,000 each year.

The Centre for Animal Biotechnology, established in March 1990, is located at the Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Parkville.

The Centre for Equine Virology, established in March 1993, is located at the Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Parkville.

The main career paths for veterinarians are in private practice, government, the CSIRO and universities and other tertiary institutions. Most graduates make several job changes in their veterinary careers.

Private practice provides the largest demand for recent graduates. Specialisation is an increasing trend, with some practices limiting their work to (for instance) horses or small animals, largely depending on whether the practice is country or city-based.

Commonwealth government veterinarians supervise both the handling of stock and the processing of meat for Australia's export meat markets. They also supervise live animal exports and imports (including imported animal products) to prevent the introduction of diseases from overseas.

State government veterinarians pursue animal disease control and eradication, principally in food producing species such as cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.

Veterinarians also work in tertiary education, supervising postgraduate research into normal animal function and studies of animal diseases and teaching undergraduate courses, veterinary nursing, laboratory animal management and the biological sciences.

Several CSIRO Divisions employ veterinarians, including the Divisions of Animal Health, Animal Production, Biomolecular Engineering, Fisheries, Human Nutrition, Tropical Animal Production, and Wildlife and Ecology. The work is largely research, covering areas such as animal diseases, food production, human nutrition and health, and environmental and wildlife studies.

Demand from the sheep, cattle, pig and poultry industries is increasing for veterinarians to provide whole-farm animal health and production management consultancy services. Increasingly, full-time positions are available with firms. Pastoral companies, animal breeders and pet food companies provide job opportunities.

Pharmaceutical industry efforts to develop and test new drugs for both animals and humans call for veterinarians to conduct research and develop products. The work also includes the breeding, care and maintenance of the animals used in the testing of drugs.

Employment opportunities exist in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, caring for and treating rare and valuable animals and ensuring suitable habitats are maintained.

Opportunities arise for veterinarians to contribute to international programs of animal production, disease control and environmental management. Australian veterinary graduates frequently go overseas for postgraduate training to PhD level or to obtain membership in specialist disciplines such as surgery, small animal medicine, radiology and anaesthesia.

A veterinary science graduate from the University of Melbourne qualifies for registration as a veterinary surgeon in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate

• Bachelor of Veterinary Science BVSc

• Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) BVSc(Hons)

• Bachelor of Animal Science* BAnimSc

(*open only to students doing the BVSc degree course)

• Master of Veterinary Science MVSc

• Master of Veterinary Studies MVS

• Doctor of Philosophy PhD

• Doctor of Veterinary Science DVSc

Veterinary Science offers opportunities for further study at the Bachelor's, Master's or PhD level. The Bachelor of Animal Science is an option after the second or third year of the BVSc course. It provides the opportunity to undertake an in depth study over one year in an area of Veterinary Science previously studied. The course work higher degree of Master of Veterinary Studies provides training to achieve an advanced professional competence in selected Veterinary Science disciplines. Research training is available to Veterinary Science, Science or Agricultural Science graduates in a number of areas where the Faculty has research strengths. However some clinically oriented projects would only be suitable for Veterinary graduates.

Course objectives

This course has as its objectives that graduates:

• have acquired the essential information and understand the principles appropriate to each level of achievement;

• can relate the scientific knowledge gained to the technical and vocational aspects of veterinary practices;

• have acquired academic and technical competence with animals and animal production systems, their pathogens, diseases, welfare and management;

• can organise knowledge and ideas systematically, discriminate amongst relevant data, and generalise safely;

• have developed skills in problem definition and solution, in decision-making and in program design and implementation;

• can design and conduct scientific enquiries;

• have developed leadership skills and an ability to interact effectively with professional colleagues, individuals and the general community;

• understand the rights, privileges and responsibilities of membership of learned societies and professional associations.

• Course structure and requirements
• Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours)

The aim of the BVSc course, in acknowledgement of the aims, guiding values and objectives of the University of Melbourne, is to educate students of veterinary science to the best international standards and to prepare them for careers in professional work, research and public service.

The BVSc is a set full-time four-year degree course. Students are admitted to the BVSc program after completing at least one year of an approved science course at a university. The BVSc degree is required for registration to practise as a veterinary surgeon. Part-time study is not available.

The course curriculum is arranged within several frameworks, key among these is the Animal Framework. The central focus in this framework is the management of animal health and disease. Work covers subjects which lead to the understanding of the normal and abnormal animal, how disease is produced, and how animals and their welfare are managed in the agricultural and companion animal industries.

Other frameworks are Herd and Flock (management of numbers of animals), Production Systems (for example, piggeries and vaccine laboratories), Community (dealing with the two-way interaction of professionals with the community), and Personal Development (providing opportunities for personal development as scientist, veterinarian, environmentalist and community leader). These frameworks also link to particular subjects of the BVSc course or are a synthesis of skills acquired across the whole course.

First and second-year subjects are discipline-based, third-year subjects are based on body systems (for example, the cardiovascular system) and fourth-year subjects are based on animal species.

Lectures and practical work are required in almost all subjects. Laboratory experiments, demonstrations, clinical work and vacation work on farms and with veterinarians reinforce the theoretical content of lectures. Students work under supervision in the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital at Werribee in conditions similar to those they will encounter after graduating.

Some practical work involving the use of animals in experiments is an essential part of the course.

The Veterinary Science course is a set course which means all subjects must be studied and completed satisfactorily. There are no elective subjects. Each subject is a year long subject, with the exception of Clinical Sciences 1 (250-301) in third year. Each subject in a year must be passed to pass the year and to be able to proceed to the next year of the course.

Subjects are arranged in the course:

First year (dealing with normal animals)

In addition to formal classes in listed subjects, practical work requirements linked to specific subjects must be completed between academic semesters or terms and between years. The requirements are summarised as follows but reference should be made also to the details of the relevant subjects and rules published for students in each year manual.

• Farmwork experience must be gained on several commercial farms each with different animal enterprises.

  Four weeks for Animal Management and Production 1

  Eight weeks for Animal Management and Production 2

• Extramural work with veterinarians appointed by the Faculty as Academic Associates.

  Twelve weeks to be completed by the end of the final clinical year for Clinical Sciences 13 Part 1 and 2

• Practical training rostered in the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital.

  Two weeks for Clinical Sciences 13 Part 1

  Two weeks for Clinical Sciences 13 Part 2

• Practical instruction in clinical techniques with dairy cattle at the Rural Veterinary Centre at Maffra in Gippsland, hosted by the Maffra Veterinary Centre.

  One week for clinical Sciences 13 Part 2

The BVSc(Hons) may be awarded to students who achieve a high standard throughout the four years of the course.

Course objectives

The objectives of the course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Animal Science are:

• to provide the opportunity for a student who is, or has been, enrolled in a Bachelor of Veterinary Science course to undertake advanced studies in a discipline area related to earlier completed studies; and

• to provide a preliminary research training, under appropriate supervision, in that discipline area to a standard equivalent to the 'Honours' year of the Bachelor of Science Course.

By the end of the course a student should be able to:

• plan, design and execute a small scientific investigation in that particular discipline;

• have developed competence with techniques and instrumentation used for scientific investigations in that discipline area;

• critically appraise and interpret scientific data and present results in the written and verbal forms;

• prepare the results of an investigation in a format suitable for publication in a scientific journal; and

• proceed to larger investigations and work as part of a research team under general supervision.

The BAnimSc degree course involves doing a one-year full time research project in an area of veterinary science related to earlier completed studies. The BVSc course may then be resumed.

The Bachelor of Veterinary Science with the Bachelor of Animal Science is considered as a combined course for the purpose of student benefits.

Eligibility

Students must have completed two or more years of the BVSc course with at least a pass grade in all subjects from the previous year and have the support of the Head of the Department of Veterinary Science.

Application

Application is made on the appropriate form, through the Faculty Office. The application is completed in liaison with the supervisor and must be endorsed by the Head of the Department of Veterinary Science. Generally application should be made by 1 December.

Selection

Subject to the availability of an appropriate supervisor and research project, selection is based on academic merit, as determined by the applicant's performance in the BVSc course, and on the applicants potential for such training.

Degree requirements

The requirement is for one year of full-time study which may include attendance at lectures, the carrying out of practical work attendances at seminars and tutorials, and such other studies as required. The study may be undertaken in the following veterinary discipline areas:

• Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Pathology, Clinical Sciences, Animal Genetics, Animal Nutrition;

or such other subjects as the Faculty of Veterinary Science may approve.

For each discipline the course is split into two subject; a Project (90 points) and a Seminar (10 points) totalling 100 points for the award of the degree. Students undertake both subjects from the same discipline. Assessment of the Project is based on a report and assessment of the Seminar on a presentation within the Faculty's normal research seminar program.

List of subjects

Where to go for assistance

The Faculty Office is located on the first floor of the Veterinary Preclinical Centre at Parkville. Staff are available to answer questions on all administrative matters and can help direct you to assistance for personal or study problems. Telephone (03) 9744 7357.

Students based at the Veterinary Clinical Centre, Werribee, may seek advice from the Dean's Office in the first instance. Telephone (03) 9741 3500.

Other help structures provided are:

• the Associate Dean (Students Preclinical), Dr G Browning, located at Parkville for academic welfare matters;

• the Associate Dean (Students Clinical), Dr R Mitten, located at Werribee for academic welfare matters;

• a mentor, who is an academic staff member, is allocated to the student at the commencement of the course for the first two years and then another at the commencement of the clinical training;

• a subject coordinator is responsible for the management of a particular subject and is able to provide academic advice and receive feedback from students on the quality of the course delivery.

Are additional studies available?

Generally the schedule of classes for Veterinary Science does not allow time for additional studies such as the Diploma of Modern Languages or the Diploma of Music (Practical) or single subjects offered by other Faculties. Students should discuss their requests with staff in the Faculty Office in the first instance.

Is study overseas possible?

While the University has formal exchange agreements with a number of overseas universities, a few of which have a Veterinary School, course structure and academic year differences have made it difficult to achieve any student exchanges.

Students who consider undertaking any of the practical farm work or extramural veterinary work overseas should apply to the Faculty Office or the Dean's Office for permission.

Taking Leave of Absence

Application for leave of absence should be made through the Faculty Office. Normally students take leave for a whole year for a variety of reasons but there is an expectation that such leave will assist their personal development. Leave of absence granted on medical grounds for less than an academic year requires that the student returns for the whole academic year.

Academic progress - mid year

For the first two years of the course the assessment load is split between mid year and end of year examinations. Students who fail any component of assessment at mid-year are counselled on their performance by the Subject Coordinator and/or the Associate Dean (Students - Preclinical) with a view to finding a solution to any academic or personal problems.

Progression in the Bachelor of Veterinary Science course - standing rules

In the Faculty of Veterinary Science, progression is by years.

1. Faculty pass: A faculty pass for a year shall be granted if a student fails one subject with a deficiency of up to four marks, provided the excess marks in the subjects passed are at least three times the deficiency in the subject failed. A faculty pass can only be obtained at the first attempt at an annual examination - i.e. not at a supplementary examination or in a repeat year. A special examination is regarded for these purposes as the annual examination and, therefore, the first attempt. A faculty pass may not be awarded in the final year of the course.

2. Supplementary examination: A student in the course shall be granted a supplementary examination in subjects in which the student fails at the annual examination, provided that the student has failed in no more than two subjects and none of the marks obtained are less than 40 per cent. Supplementary examinations can only be granted at the first attempt.

3. Suspension: After the first attempt at the assessment in a particular year, a student may be recommended for suspension if

   1. being a student in the first year of the course:

      • fails in three or more subjects of the year; or

      • fails in two or more subject of the year with an average mark of less than forty percent in the failed subjects; or

      • fails any subject of supplementary assessment.

   2. being a student in the second or later year of the course:

      • fails in all subjects of the year; or

      • passes in one subject but fails in the remaining subjects with an average mark of less than forty percent in the failed subjects.

   3. being a student in any year of the course:

      • fails in consecutive years; or

      • fails at a second attempt at a year.

   4. Permitted to repeat:

      1. A student in the first year of the course will not normally be allowed to repeat that year.

      2. A student in the second or a later year of the course may be permitted to repeat the failed year if his or her performance falls between that described in sections b. and c.

         Re-enrolment

         Students who have passed each subject in the year of a course or who have been granted a 'Faculty Pass' in the year as a whole, are required to re-enrol for the following year. An authorised re-enrolment form and re-enrolment instructions will be sent to these students in December.

         Please take action as instructed.

         Students who are not permitted to re-enrol in December will be contacted individually by the Faculty Office.

         Resumption of course

         Enquiries about resuming studies after suspension or termination from a course should be made to the Faculty Office. Students would be expected to have demonstrated some academic rehabilitation before any application would be considered.

         Credit for previous study

         Applicants for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree may make application for credit on the basis of previously completed equivalent studies.

         No credits may be granted for subjects in the final two years of the course.

         Be informed

         Students should be aware of their rights and obligations while at the University. Essential information on matters such as enrolments, assessment, special consideration in the event of illness or other difficulties etc., is contained in the front of this Handbook and in the Student Diary, issued to every student on enrolment.

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Handbook 1997 : Faculty of Veterinary Science

         Status:                   OFFICIAL 1997
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