Doctor of Veterinary Studies
Specialise in your veterinary career
CSU's Doctor of Veterinary Studies is designed to provide practising veterinarians with clinical and research skills and knowledge for specialist veterinary practice of a national and international standard.
Why study this course?
CSU's Doctor of Veterinary Studies is a professional doctorate that satisfies level 10 professional doctorate requirements, with emphasis on research skills for specialist veterinary professional practice. The doctorate is designed to provide advanced research and clinical specialty training in a chosen discipline in veterinary science, develop systematic and critical understanding of a complex field of learning and critical reflection on veterinary professional practice, and make a significant and original contribution to knowledge in that discipline. You will develop analytical, problem solving, research and technical skills that will fulfil the requirements to attain specialty status. The course also offers strong links to undergraduate veterinary teaching and research.
Course structure
This course is a three-year full-time on campus structured postgraduate program, comprised of clinical research subjects and specialty training. Candidates will complete a research plan and research internship in the first year, concluding with a dissertation completed over three sessions. Clinical training is provided in one or more of the veterinary enterprises at CSU and also through one or more externships.
Reasons to study Doctor of Veterinary Studies at CSU:
- Candidates follow a structured program of study on campus
- The professional doctorate provides a pathway for candidates to achieve specialty status
- Graduates will be equipped for veterinary practice of a national and international standard.
Assessment
To facilitate the processes of focused and contextually bound enquiry and development of specialty knowledge and skills in veterinary science, the Doctor of Veterinary Studies incorporates assessments that are different from that of a PhD. These include contributions to scholarly enquiry, undergraduate didactic and/or clinical teaching and clinical practice, generation and delivery of professional presentations and reports, and production of peer-reviewed publications. This is aligned with the candidates' needs and the development of specialists in their designated veterinary science discipline, and the in vivo nature of their profession. These strategies are considered most relevant for achievement of the outcomes appropriate for a professional doctorate program of study.
Career opportunities
On completion of the degree, you will have a distinctive postgraduate research qualification in the veterinary profession and will have undertaken the training to be eligible to undertake Australasian and/or European and/or American specialist examinations in the chosen discipline.
More about Career opportunities
Facilities
Candidates will have access to the impressive state-of-the-art facilities at CSU's Wagga Wagga Campus, including veterinary clinical and pre-clinical centres, a veterinary diagnostic laboratory and an Equine Centre.
Graduation requirements
To graduate with the Doctor of Veterinary Studies, candidates must satisfactorily complete 192 points.
Career opportunities
The Doctor of Veterinary Studies at CSU provides an opportunity for veterinary professionals to advance their career by achieving specialty status in one veterinary science discipline offered at CSU. Specialist qualifications are required to be a registered specialist in a given veterinary discipline.
Career opportunities for veterinary specialists include private specialist practice, university referral veterinary hospitals, industry and government.
Candidates must successfully complete the following subjects:
VSC706 Clinical Research Dissertation (96 points)
VSC707 Advanced Clinical Related Disciplines Practicum (16 points)
VSC708 Advanced Clinical Practicum 1 (8 points)
VSC709 Advanced Clinical Practicum 2 (8 points)
VSC711 Advanced Veterinary Clinical Skills (32 points)
VSC712 Doctorate Research Plan (16 points)
VSC714 Advanced Clinical Research Internship (16 points)
Enrolment pattern
Candidates must successfully undetake all subjects. Whilst there are some fixed subjects flexibility for the timing and pattern of the other subjects has been incorporated to ensure each candidate has the opportunity to maximise their studies.
Session 1
VSC712 Doctorate Research Plan (16 points)
VSC714 Advanced Clinical Research Internship (16 points)
Session 2
VSC711 Advanced Veterinary Clinical Skills (32 points)
Session 3
VSC707 Advanced Clinical Related Disciplines Practicum (16 points)
VSC708 Advanced Clinical Practicum 1 (8 points)
VSC709 Advanced Clinical Practicum 2 (8 points)
Session 4
VSC706 Clinical Research Dissertation (96 points) (commenced)
Session 5
VSC706 Clinical Research Dissertation (96 points)(continued)
Session 6
VSC706 Clinical Research Dissertation (96 points) (completed)
Course highlights
The Doctor of Veterinary Studies is a unique veterinary postgraduate course that provides in-depth clinical research training and clinical training for attainment of doctoral qualifications and veterinary specialist qualifications.
The course provides candidates with:
- distinctive educational programs for the veterinary profession
- the educational needs of veterinary science professionals aspiring to achieve specialty qualifications in a designated veterinary science discipline
- the acquisition of advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, research skills and technical skills that enhance the capacity of the candidate to fulfil the requirements for specialty status
- excellence in scholarship and focused research within the selected veterinary science discipline
- strong links to high quality veterinary professional practice in undergraduate veterinary teaching and clinical research
- the opportunity to engage in and continue lifelong learning.
The research subjects will allow you to develop in-depth clinical research skills through the planning, development and undertaking of the research project and writing of the dissertation. The clinical subjects will provide you with advanced clinical training in the chosen discipline and related disciplines under the supervision of discipline experts and specialists.
Workplace learning
The clinical subjects are undertaken at one or more veterinary enterprises at CSU, where workplace learning will be supported directly by specialists relevant to the primary and related disciplines.
The clinical research subjects include placement in a workplace for recruitment of cases and data collection for the research project.
Admission requirements
To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Veterinary Studies, candidates must have:
- a veterinary science degree with Honours that enables candidates to be registered by the Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW
- completed at least two years veterinary professional experience.
English proficiency
Applicants will be deemed to have sufficient English proficiency if they
- have undertaken an academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an average score of 7.0, and with no score lower than 6.5, within the last 12 months; or
- undertaken a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 577 (or computerised TOEFL score of 233), with a Test for Written English Score (where reported) of at least 5.0 or an Internet-based score of 90 with a written score of 24 within the last 12 months; or
- undertaken other equivalent examinations, as determined by the Board of Graduate Studies; or
- completed a university degree where the language of assessment is in English;
The Presiding Officer of the Board of Graduate Studies may, in special circumstances, on behalf of the Board waive the above proficiency requirements after consulting the relevant Dean, Sub-Dean and nominated Supervisor.
NOTE: A Faculty may require a higher standard of proficiency than that specified above for programs deemed to be linguistically demanding.
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International Students
This course is not available to international students.
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Undergraduate courses in Animal Science, Equine Science and Veterinary Science and a Graduate Certificate in Captive Vertebrate Management.
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