Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science

What is this course about?

CSU's Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science double degree is a six-year program that prepares graduates for a career as a registered veterinarian in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

CSU's Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science arose from the need of rural communities for more veterinarians who want to live and work in regional areas and who have the knowledge and skills to work with a broad range of animal species, from farm livestock to horses, companion animals and wildlife.

The course has been designed in close consultation with the veterinary industry to address these needs and aims to provide highly competent veterinary graduates with a strong commitment to animal health, welfare and research, and to the development and protection of animal industries. Graduates will be able to pursue a career as a veterinarian in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore or the United Kingdom.

More about Career opportunities

More about what you will learn

Eligibility

Admission to this course is highly competitive, with over 400 applications received for the 60 available places each year. Successful applicants are able to demonstrate that they have excellent academic achievements, as well as a genuine commitment to animals, livestock industries and for working in regional communities.

Students are required to meet the following selection criteria:

• a high level of academic ability through previous studies. More about academic requirements
• an interest in and commitment to rural communities, veterinary science and animal production
• an understanding of the unique ethical and practical issues that confront veterinarians involved with rural practice and animal production
• the capacity to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

More about selection criteria

Applications open on August 1 and close on the last business day preceding or including 30 September for entry the following year.

Please complete the eligibility checklist to establish whether you are eligible for entry into the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science.

Your course is recognised by industry

This course is fully accredited with the Australian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), the Veterinary Council of New Zealand and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the UK. This means that graduates of CSU's Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science will have achieved the necessary veterinary graduate attributes and will be eligible for registration as veterinarians in all states of Australia, in New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

To meet these professional expectations, CSU graduates must be able to demonstrate their ability to perform various animal handling, manipulative, therapeutic and diagnostic techniques. Graduates require the skills to practise veterinary medicine and surgery across all species of domestic and potentially native and wild animals, while demonstrating the ethical, physical and emotional capacity to participate in the full curriculum.

Credit

Credit for prior learning will be granted to eligible applicants. CSU does not normally expect students to repeat relevant study completed at an acceptable standard at university level, however, credit will be granted for only a limited number of subjects in the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Credit eligibiliy should be discussed with subject coordinators.

Honours

Completing an Honours degree provides you with the learning skills required to undertake research and develop enhanced critical thinking. It provides a stepping stone for further postgraduate study such as a PhD or animal health research, as well as an edge when presenting your CV for employment.

If you achieve a high academic grade (a grade point average (GPA) of 5 or higher across all subjects studied in second, third and fourth year) you have the opportunity to transfer into the Honours stream at the beginning of fifth year.

Successful students will be included in a special program of Honours workshops and tutorials and you will have the opportunity to produce your own research contributing to the veterinary profession through a supervised research project, which may be published and provide opportunities to speak at professional conferences.