Search : Index : Faculty of Veterinary Science
Faculty of Veterinary Science
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:
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, Molecular Science, Marine Research, 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.
(*open only to students doing the BVSc degree course)
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 Aims
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
Course objectives
This course has as its objectives that graduates:
Course outline
The BVSc course is a set full-time four-year degree course. There are two routes of entry. Some students will be admitted on the basis of year twelve studies into a pre-veterinary year of Science at this university. Others will be admitted 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 Veterinary Science course curriculum is arranged within several frameworks which allow lateral and vertical integration of subject matter. 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.
| Pre-veterinary year | |
|---|---|
| 600-141 Biology of Cells and Organisms and | |
| 600-142 Genetics and the Evolution of Life | |
| 610-141 Chemistry and | |
| 610-142 Chemistry | |
| 640-121 Physics (Advanced) A and | |
| 640-122 Physics (Advanced) B | |
| or | |
| 640-141 Physics A and | |
| 640-142 Physics B | |
| or | |
| 640-161 Physics: Principles and Applications A and | |
| 640-162 Physics: Principles and Applications B | |
| PLUS elective subject or subjects totalling 25 points | |
The pre-veterinary year in the Faculty of Science has set full time studies in Biology, Chemistry and Physics (together 75 points) and a choice of subject(s) for the remaining 25 points of the year's work load. Students will be enrolled in a Veterinary Science stream within the BSc course and must pass all subjects to be able to proceed to the first year of the BVSc course.
Veterinary years - One to four
The Veterinary Science course is a set course which means all subjects must be studied and completed satisfactorily. 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.
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.
In 1998 changes will be introduced to the Veterinary Science course which will commence in first year and be phased in successively over three years. The new fourth year will be introduced concurrently with the new third year in 2000. Students already enrolled will follow the existing arrangement of subjects.
| Second year 1998 | |
|---|---|
| Continuing the study of the normal animal introducing the abnormal | |
| 212-211 Animal Management and Production 2 | |
| 250-201 Veterinary Microbiology | |
| 250-202 Veterinary Parasitology | |
| 250-203 Veterinary Pathology | |
| 250-204 Veterinary Physiology 2 | |
| 250-205 Veterinary Pharmacology | |
| Third year 1998 and 1999 | |
|---|---|
| Introduces surgery, medicine and reproduction and develops the systematic study of diseases of various organs and body systems | |
| 250-300 Animal Management and Production 3 | |
| 250-301 Clinical Sciences 1 | |
| 250-302 Clinical Sciences 2: Diseases of the Alimentary System | |
| 250-303 Clinical Sciences 3: Diseases of the Respiratory, Haemopoietic, Cardiovascular, and Urinary Systems | |
| 250-304 Clinical Sciences 4: Diseases of the Nervous System and Special Senses, Endocrine System and the Skin | |
| 250-305 Clinical Sciences 5: Diseases of the Reproductive System and Mammary Gland | |
| 250-306 Clinical Sciences 6: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System | |
| 250-313 Clinical Sciences 13, Part 1 | |
| Fourth year 1998 to 1999 | |
|---|---|
| Looks at animal production according to species, continues the study of disease and provides parallel studies in epidemiology, production management and preventative medicine, public health and professional ethics | |
| 250-407 Clinical Sciences 7: Epidemiology, Exotic Diseases, Veterinary Law and Ethics, and Aspects of Animal Derived Food and Public Health | |
| 250-408 Clinical Sciences 8: Diseases and Production Management of Cattle | |
| 250-409 Clinical Sciences 9: Diseases and Preventive Medicine of Dogs and Cats and Miscellaneous Small Pets | |
| 250-410 Clinical Sciences 10: Diseases, Preventive Medicine and Production of Sheep, Other Small Ruminants and Camelids | |
| 250-411 Clinical Sciences 11: Diseases of Pigs and Birds | |
| 250-412 Clinical Sciences 12: Diseases of Non-Domestic Animals | |
| 250-413 Clinical Sciences 13, Part 2 | |
| 250-414 Clinical Sciences 14: Diseases and Preventive Medicine of Horses | |
| First Year 1998 (dealing with normal animals and an introduction to the veterinary profession) | |
|---|---|
| 250-001 Animal Health and Management 1 | |
| 250-101 Veterinary Anatomy 1 | |
| 250-103 Veterinary Biochemistry and Pharmacology | |
| 250-104 Veterinary Physiology 1 | |
| 250-105 Veterinary Professional Studies | |
| Second Year 1999 | |
|---|---|
| Continuing the study of the normal and introducing the abnormal animal and the clinical approach | |
| 250-201 Veterinary Microbiology | |
| 250-202 Veterinary Parasitology | |
| 250-203 Veterinary Pathology | |
| 250-204 Veterinary Physiology 2 | |
| 250-206 Veterinary Anatomy 2 | |
| 250-207 Animal Health and Management 2 | |
| 250-208 Introductory Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Medicine and Surgery) | |
| 250-209 Veterinary Pharmacology & Toxicology | |
| Third Year 2000 | |
|---|---|
| Introduces surgery, medicine and reproduction and develops the systematic study of diseases of various organs and body systems | |
| 250-300 Animal Health and Management 3 | |
| 250-301 Clinical Sciences 1 | |
| 250-302 Clinical Sciences 2: Diseases of the Alimentary System | |
| 250-303 Clinical Sciences 3: Diseases of the Respiratory, Haemopoietic, Cardiovascular, and Urinary Systems | |
| 250-304 Clinical Sciences 4: Diseases of the Nervous System and Special Senses, Endocrine System and the Skin | |
| 250-305 Clinical Sciences 5: Diseases of the Reproductive System and Mammary Gland | |
| 250-306 Clinical Sciences 6: Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System | |
| 250-313 Clinical Sciences 13, Part 1 | |
| 250-314 iiiPractical Clinical Instruction | |
The BVSc(Hons) may be awarded to students who achieve a high standard throughout the four years of the BVSc course.
Course objectives
The objectives of the course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Animal Science are:
By the end of the course a student should be able to:
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 applicant's 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:
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.
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) 9344 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:
Are additional studies available?
Generally the schedule of classes for Veterinary Science within the academic semester 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, and arrangements will be made to facilitate these studies where possible.
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. Often students have done an additional year to participate in a study abroad program.
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 (Pre-veterinary year and BVSc course)
For the pre-veterinary year, subjects will normally be examined in the semester in which they are taught. Students will be counselled on their performances at mid-year.
For the first two years of the BVSc 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.
Academic progress - end of year (Pre-veterinary year)
To continue to the first year of the BVSc course students in the pre-veterinary year must pass all their subjects at the first attempt. A special examination is regarded for this purpose as the examination and, therefore, the first attempt.
Progression in the Bachelor of Veterinary Science course - standing rules
In the Faculty of Veterinary Science, progression is by years.
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.
Search : Index : Faculty of Veterinary Science
Status: Official 1998 Last Modified: Tuesday October 21 17:12 SGML to HTML Conversion: Information Technology Services Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email Enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au