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Bachelor of Veterinary Science
- Duration: 5 years full-time
- Location: St Lucia campus, Brisbane and Gatton campus, Lockyer Valley
- Delivery mode: This program is available internally only
- Prerequisites: Standard Qld Year 12 plus English, Chemistry, Physics or Biology and Mathematics B
- QTAC code: 736 002
- 2007 entry score: OP 2, Rank 98 (not all applicants at these ranks were offered a place in 2007)
- Honours: Available as part of standard program in last four years of the program or as an extra year of study
What is Veterinary Science?
Veterinary science is the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. Veterinary science is vital to the study and protection of animal production practices, herd health and monitoring spread of widespread disease. It requires the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge in multiple disciplines and uses technical skills towards disease prevention in both domestic and wild animals.
Human health is protected by veterinary science working closely with many medical professionals by the careful monitoring of livestock health as well as its unique training in epidemiology and emerging zoonotic diseases worldwide.
Veterinarians assist in ensuring the quality, quantity, and security of food supplies by working to maintain the health of livestock. Veterinary scientists are very important in chemical, biological, and pharmacological research.
Careers in Veterinary Science
Graduates from the Bachelor of Veterinary Science are employed as Veterinary Professionals in a number of areas including (but not limited to):
- urban and rural private practitioners in Australia and abroad
- consultants on aspects of animal production and disease control
- consultants with federal and state governments dealing with the control of animal disease and the efficiency of animal production
- advisors to industry (especially pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies), and
- educators and/or researchers with universities and governments.
Program outline
UQ’s Veterinary Science program is one of the most sought after in Australia, attracting the very best students and producing veterinarians that are in high demand both domestically and internationally.
The Veterinary Science program provides the broadest base in the biological sciences of any undergraduate course and provides a very wide range of career options as well as its professional qualifications enabling graduates to practice veterinary medicine and surgery.
The program will equip you with knowledge of veterinary science, the branch of medicine which deals with the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases and injuries in animals. It covers the care of healthy and sick animals and the prevention, recognition, control and treatment of diseases in animals, as well as the welfare and productivity of livestock and production animals. Throughout the five year program you will undertake a large component of practical work and will also be expected to work on farms and in other animal enterprises during holiday periods.
Your first-year courses will provide foundation knowledge of animal structure and function, chemical principles, and animal husbandry. The structure and function of the normal animal, and its nutrition, breeding, and management, are studied in greater depth in second and third years. In your fourth and fifth year studies you will develop knowledge and skills in the prevention, diagnoses, treatment and control of diseases in domestic animals and birds.
Honours is also available as an extra year of study in one of the following fields: anatomy, animal breeding, animal management and production; animal nutrition, medicine, microbiology, parasitology, pathology, physiology, surgery, and veterinary public health. Luke White, the University’s first Indigenous graduate from the Veterinary Science program The Small Animal Clinic and Hospital at the St Lucia campus offers practical experience opportunities for Veterinary students As a graduate of the Veterinary Science Program you will be well prepared to enter professional practice or work in a variety of fields (see the ‘Career Opportunities at a Glance’ section at the beginning of this prospectus for further information). Graduates can also continue into higher degree programs which provide a platform for research and academic careers.
NOTE: Due to high demand exceeding the number of government-approved places in the Veterinary Science program, not all OP2 applicants were successful in gaining a place in 2007.
Professional memberships
Graduates are entitled to practice throughout Australia and in all countries with a reciprocal accreditation scheme (upon payment of the subscript to the relevant veterinary board).
Further information: