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 wish 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.

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 excellent academic achievements, as well as a genuine commitment to animals, livestock industries and to working in rural and regional communities.

Applicants 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 Friday 27 September for entry in 2014.

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

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, under normal circumstances credit will only be considered for the following subjects: ASC221 Animal Genetics, ASC273 Animal Nutrition, BCM210 Foundations & Techniques in Biochemistry and CHM104 Chemistry 1A (prerequisite for VSC226).

Credit eligibility will be conferred by the Subject Coordinator for each subject. Awarding of credit will not result in the shortening of the degree.

More information about credit and pathways.

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.

Requirements for registration as a veterinarian

The Veterinary Surgeons Board may refuse to register a person not deemed fit to practice veterinary science by reason of infirmity, injury, mental or physical illness, habitual drunkenness or addiction to a deleterious drug. In order to meet and maintain accreditation standards with the AVBC, CSU is required to train and graduate students who are eligible to be registered as veterinarians.

This is a broad veterinary science degree; it is a requirement that graduates have the skills to practise veterinary medicine and surgery across all species of domestic and production animals, as well as native and wild animals. All students must demonstrate the ethical, physical and emotional capacity to participate in the full curriculum and to achieve the level of competence required by the School in order to graduate and be registered as a veterinarian.

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 5.0 or higher across all subjects studied in second, third and fourth years) 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. 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.

Academic expectations

For each 8 point subject at CSU, students should normally expect to spend between 140-160 hours engaged in the specified learning and assessment activities (such as attending lectures or residential schools, assigned readings, tutorial assistance, individual or group research/study, forum activity, workplace learning, assignments or examinations). The student workload for some subjects may vary from these norms as a result of approved course design.

Students will be assessed on the basis of completed assignments, examinations, workplace learning, or other methods as outlined in specific subject outlines.

Where applicable, students are responsible for travel and accommodation costs involved in workplace learning experiences, or attending residential schools (distance education students).

Expectations relating to academic, workplace learning, time and cost requirements for specific subjects are provided in the subject abstracts and in course materials.