Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge offers a world class opportunity to study the scientific basis of veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary science. Our course provides the fundamental building blocks on which to develop and excel in any veterinary field.

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Overview

Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge

Cambridge provides a unique intellectual and social environment in which to study to the highest level. The Department of Veterinary Medicine has an international reputation as a centre of excellence and is performing world-class veterinary research.

Succeeding as a veterinary surgeon requires many skills – scientific, practical, clinical, financial and social – and the Cambridge course is designed to develop these skills

A major strength of the Cambridge course is the extensive use of practical teaching and the emphasis on small-group teaching from Year 1. Our staff includes world leaders in their field and our clinical school – which is located just a short walk/cycle ride from the city centre – houses state-of-the-art equipment (see Facilities and resources, below).

Right from the start, Cambridge students receive intensive training in animal handling and practical clinical skills. Also, Cambridge was the first veterinary school in England to introduce a clinics-based lecture-free final year, in which students take full responsibility for cases under the watchful eye of senior clinicians. This allows you to develop your clinical, problem solving and client communication skills in a real clinical practice environment.

The emphasis on small-group teaching in all six years, with experienced teachers supporting and guiding your progress, is also central to our philosophy of producing the highest calibre veterinary graduates.

Facilities and resources

The modern facilities in the Queen's Veterinary School Hospital include:

a five-theatre small animal surgical suite
a fully-equipped intensive care unit
an equine surgical suite and diagnostic unit, with an MRI machine capable of imaging standing horses
excellent farm animal facilities
a state-of-the-art post-mortem unit

We also have one of the leading cancer therapy units in Europe with a linear accelerator used for delivering radiotherapy to both small and large animals with cancer.

In addition, our Clinical Skills Centre houses interactive models and simulators for students to practise and refine essential technical skills individually and as integrated clinical scenarios – excellent preparation for the case responsibilities you have in the later years of the course. The Centre is accessible to students in all years of the course.

Small animals, farm animals and horses are housed on-site to provide continual opportunities to consolidate your animal handling skills. The nearby University Farm also allows all students to become involved in lambing and dairy management.

Additional course costs

Year 1 and 2

Required: lab coat (£10), overalls (boiler suit, £16), waterproof trousers (£8), wellington boots (with toe protector, £12) - Estimated cost £46
Required: dissection kit, gloves, safety glasses, loan of locker and key, loan of dog skeleton - Estimated cost £25
Required: University approved calculator - Estimated cost £17
Required: pre-clinical extramural studies (EMS) – all students are required by the RVCS to complete 12 weeks during the vacations, costs vary depending on placements chosen - Estimated cost £46
Optional: electron micrographs - Estimated cost £3

Year 3

Costs dependent on the subject taken during Year

Years 4 and 5

Required: basic stethoscope (£3, many students purchase a higher quality stethoscope later in the clinical course), pen torch (£1.50), clinical and digital thermometers (£5), six inch scissors (curved on flat, £3), five inch Spencer Wells forceps (£4), dog lead (£2), hoof pick (£1), locker padlock (£2) - Estimated cost £21.50
Required: steel toe-capped leather ‘yard’ boots (not available to purchase from the Department)
Required: clinical extramural studies (EMS) – all students are required by the RVCS to complete 26 weeks during the vacations, costs vary depending on placements chosen (grants are available to assist with costs)

Year 6

Required: white shoes and protective clothing to be worn in theatre - Estimated cost £15

Details about additional course costs can be found on the Faculty of Biology website and in the Veterinary Students’ Handbook. Most of the equipment listed above can be purchased from the Veterinary School and if you require any further information/guidance, please contact the Department of Veterinary Medicine (see fact file, right).

Some students may be eligible for the Cambridge Bursary Scheme and some College funding may be available to support students’ studies, see individual Colleges for details.

Changing course

To be able to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements.

If numbers permit and they satisfy the entry requirements for Veterinary Medicine, students studying another science course at Cambridge may be able to change to Veterinary Medicine. This would usually happen at the end of the first year, though students would have to take up Veterinary Medicine from the start of the first year. Students interested in changing to Veterinary Medicine should seek advice from the Director of Teaching at the Vet School in addition to their Director of Studies.

Occasionally, having studied the first year of Veterinary Medicine, students have left the course and changed to Natural Sciences, starting in the second year.

Professional qualification

While the University is responsible for the teaching and examination of the courses leading to the BA and VetMB degrees (awarded after three and six years, respectively), their content and standards are scrutinised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and must also conform to the Veterinary Directives of the European Union.

Achievement of the VetMB degree allows you to become a member of the RCVS – the professional qualification required to enter practice.

Careers

The Cambridge course equips you with the clinical skills and scientific understanding required to enter practice (in the UK and EU) and other areas of veterinary work.

Many of our graduates subsequently enhance their clinical skills by obtaining further professional qualifications in a wide variety of clinical disciplines.

However, the Cambridge veterinary course also gives you the scientific understanding needed to enter many other areas of veterinary work or biomedical science, and to understand and respond to the rapid progress being made in veterinary science. For example, there are opportunities to enter research in universities, Research Council institutes and private companies, and to obtain specialist postgraduate qualifications. In addition, career openings are available with government agencies, animal charities (RSPCA, PDSA etc), pharmaceutical companies, and in academic clinical posts.

Course Outline

Course outline

At Cambridge, you study the basic veterinary sciences first before learning to apply that knowledge to veterinary practice as a clinical student.

During your pre-clinical studies (Years 1-3), you are taught through lectures and practical classes (including 120 hours of dissection across the three years) in the central science departments, and College supervisions – you can typically expect 20-25 timetabled teaching hours each week. The clinical studies teaching is a mixture of lectures (in Years 4 and 5), practicals, tutorials, supervisions and clinical rotations.

In addition, you must complete a minimum of 12 weeks’ work experience (pre-clinical extramural study) during the University vacations in Years 1 and 2 to gain knowledge of animal husbandry. During your clinical studies, you must complete at least 26 weeks of clinical extramural study, some of which may be undertaken abroad. You are supported in the activities by your Vet School Clinical Supervisor.

Your progress is continually reviewed by your supervisors and your Director of Studies. Formal assessment, which determines your progression through the course, takes a variety of forms including written essays, short answer questions and practical examinations.

Years 1, 2 and 3 (pre-clinical studies)

Years 1 and 2

In Years 1 and 2, you are taught the core scientific knowledge and skills needed as a veterinary professional.

Taught by some of the world’s top academic scientists and veterinary surgeons, we provide you with the scientific and practical basis that will allow you to develop your veterinary career to the full, whether your aim is to deliver outstanding care or to push forward the boundaries of academic veterinary medicine.

In addition to core science, you follow the Preparing for the Veterinary Profession course (an introduction to the ethical, social and professional responsibilities of the profession) and courses in animal handling and management.

The main areas of learning are covered by courses in:

Principles of Animal Management – an intensive course in animal husbandry and management, including comprehensive animal handling training across a wide range of species
Preparing for the Veterinary Profession – introducing you to the professional, ethical, financial, legal and social dimensions of your chosen career
Homeostasis – covering the physiological systems which underpin the animal body's regulation of its internal environment and its responses to external threats. You also have practical classes in related aspects of experimental physiology and histology
Molecules in Medical Science – looking at the chemical and molecular basis of how cells and organisms work, as well as the genetic foundations of animal populations
Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology – functional anatomy of organs and tissues of domestic animals, and the direct relevance of animal structure in clinical veterinary medicine. The course involves extensive dissection of eight species, integrated teaching of diagnostic imaging as well as topographic anatomy sessions in live animals
Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine – covering epidemiology and how it’s applied in veterinary medicine
Biology of Disease – dealing with the nature and mechanisms of disease processes, and the mechanisms by which animals detect, resist and destroy agents of disease
Mechanisms of Drug Action – providing a clinically-focused understanding of how drugs enter animals’ bodies, how they’re distributed around them, how they act on cells and organs, and how they’re removed
Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour – covering the structure and function of the sense organs and central nervous system, and introductions to neurological examinations of live animals
Veterinary Reproductive Biology – looking at the physiology of fertility, pregnancy, development, birth and the neonate in domestic animals
Comparative Vertebrate Biology – an introduction to the biology of fish, reptiles, birds, rodents and ‘exotic’ mammals, including practical classes in the handling and husbandry of these species

Read more about Years 1 and 2 on the Faculty of Biology website.

Year 3

You specialise in one of a wide range of other subjects offered by the University to qualify for the BA degree. Options include:

a single Part II Natural Sciences subject
Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences in Natural Sciences (offering a range of subjects such as Pathology, Physiology, Zoology, History and Ethics of Medicine)
a subject less obviously related to veterinary medicine, such as Anthropology or Management Studies

This is a feature distinctive to our course and one which offers significant advantages to our undergraduates. As well as considerable satisfaction and enjoyment, this ‘extra’ year has been pivotal to many graduates’ career progression and all benefit from the global recognition of the Cambridge BA. You then continue to the three years of clinical studies at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, which is just a short walk or bike ride from the city centre.

Years 4, 5 and 6 (clinical studies)

Year 4

The emphasis of the clinical studies is to give you sufficient clinical knowledge and skills to begin to practise veterinary medicine (‘day one competencies’) and also to provide you with the scientific background you need to benefit from future trends and advances in veterinary medicine.

In Year 4, you study topics including:

animal breeding, nutrition and welfare
anatomical and clinical pathology
microbiology and veterinary parasitology
clinical pharmacology
radiography
anaesthesia
gastroenterology
respiratory system diseases
communication skills
practical clinical skills

You also learn about veterinary public health, including food hygiene, state veterinary medicine and the medicine of rabbits, rodents, reptiles and birds.

Clinical tuition begins with basic clinical methods and integrated teaching in the husbandry/management and medicine of horses and farm species. Two mornings each week are given over to practical clinical work including basic clinical examination of the main domestic species, radiography and post-mortem investigation. You also develop a range of technical and practice-related skills in the Clinical Skills Centre.

Year 5

You continue the different courses in species medicine started in Year 4, and instruction is given in subjects including:

cardiology
neurology
oncology
endocrinology
various surgical topics
communication skills
practical clinical skills
practice management

Five mornings every week are again set aside for practical clinical work. This includes visits to external establishments such as the University-affiliated RSPCA clinic, and opportunities to further hone your consultation and practical skills in the Clinical Skills Centre.

Part II of the Final Veterinary Examination tests your understanding of principles and concepts of veterinary medicine, as well as your ability to integrate information across the Part I series of subjects.

Year 6

This is a 40-week lecture-free year with tuition centred on clinical teaching, in which groups of just three or four students rotate through different disciplines in the hospital with individual clinicians. The small size of these groups means each student’s caseload is higher and they are given the maximum possible responsibility for the management of clinical cases. This allows you to develop your clinical and problem-solving skills and client communication skills in a real clinical practice environment.

Subjects covered during the year include:

small animal surgery (soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery)
small animal medicine (including oncology, neurology and clinical pathology)
equine studies
farm animals
anaesthesia
out-of-hours care
diagnostic imaging

Finally, you have a period of eight weeks’ elective study in which to explore a special interest.

During the year, marks awarded in continuous assessment count towards Part III of the Final Veterinary Examination, which is examined in May of the final year.

Achievement of the VetMB degree allows you to become a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS), which is the professional qualification required to enter practice.

For further information about studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge see the Department of Veterinary Medicine website.

Entry Requirements

Typical offers require

A Level: A*AA
IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level

For other qualifications, see our main Entrance requirements pages.

You may enter up to four veterinary medicine/science courses in your UCAS application. Your remaining choice can be used for an alternative course without prejudice to your commitment to veterinary medicine.

Course requirements

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges so check College websites for College-specific requirements. See also Entrance requirements and The Subject Matters for additional advice about general requirements for entry, qualifications and offers.

Please note that in the following ‘science/mathematics subjects’ refers to Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. It does not include Psychology.

A Levels

A Levels in Chemistry and one of Biology/Human Biology, Physics, Mathematics.
Most applicants have at least three science/mathematics A Levels and some Colleges require this and/or particular subjects. See individual College websites for details.

Please note that in the past three admissions rounds, 96 per cent of applicants for Veterinary Medicine offered three or more science/mathematics A Levels and, of these, 36 per cent were successful in obtaining a place. Of the four per cent of applicants who offered only two science/mathematics A Levels, 18 per cent were successful in gaining a place.

International Baccalaureate

A Level subject requirements also apply to the IB – Higher Level subjects satisfy A Level subject requirements.

Other examination systems

We expect applicants taking other recognised examinations to demonstrate a level of understanding in science and mathematics roughly equivalent to those applying with A Levels. Refer to the Entrance requirements page for details of other qualifications and please consult any College Admissions Tutor for further advice.

Graduate entry

Graduates wanting to study Veterinary Medicine may apply as an affiliate student to one of Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund’s or Wolfson Colleges with:

a good Honours degree (2.1 or above, science subjects are desirable)
passes at A Levels (or equivalent), as above

Work experience

Work experience is not a requirement for applicants but some experience is useful to understand the profession and what is required of its members.

Admission assessment

All applicants to Veterinary Medicine are required to take the Natural Sciences pre-interview written assessment at an authorised centre local to them (for a lot of applicants, this will be their school/college).

Assessment format

Section 1: Maths and Science MCQs (80 minutes)
Section 2: Science-specific longer questions (40 minutes)

Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specification 2017

You must be registered in advance (separately to your UCAS application) to take the assessment – the registration deadline is Sunday 15 October 2017. Your assessment centre must register you for the pre-interview assessment; you’re not able to register yourself. See the written assessments page for information about assessment centres and registration.

All Veterinary Medicine applicants (including those applying to a mature College) will take the Natural Sciences pre-interview written assessment on 2 November 2017. Please check the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website for scheduled start times.

Please note that your performance in the pre-interview assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

Specimen and past papers

A specimen paper has been produced to allow you to sample the written assessment format and practice under timed conditions. It is not expected that you will answer every question correctly; the written assessment is designed to be challenging. Even some strong candidates may not complete the paper in the time allowed; it is designed to distinguish across our field of high-calibre applicants.

Experience with similar assessments and from trials indicates that, on average, typical applicants to the most highly selective undergraduate courses (who are by definition academically very able) will gain approximately half of the available marks. The best applicants will score more highly, but only relatively few are expected to gain more than 80% of the available marks.

Written assessments help admissions tutors to assess whether candidates have the skills, aptitudes and any required subject knowledge and understanding required to study the relevant course at Cambridge. They are only one of the elements used in the admissions process. Others include a candidate’s academic record and forecast grades in school-leaving examinations; UCAS application form; examples of recent written work submitted to the College to which they are applying; and performance at interview, if invited to attend.

Specimen papers:

PDF icon Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specimen Paper - Section 1: Question Paper
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specimen Paper - Section 1: Answer Sheet
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specimen Paper - Section 1: Answer Key
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specimen Paper - Section 1: Explained Answers
PDF icon Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment Specimen Paper - Section 2: Question Paper

Past papers:

PDF icon Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment 2016 - Section 1: Question Paper
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment 2016 - Section 1: Answer Sheet
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment 2016 - Section 1: Answer Key
Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment 2016 - Section 2: Question Paper

Submitted work

Applicants are not typically asked to submit examples of written work. Some may be asked by their College to do some reading in advance of their interview, but if this is required the College will provide full details in the letter inviting the student to interview.

Selection requirements

We are looking for students who are committed to the veterinary profession, and who are really interested in the scientific principles that underlie both the health and disease of animals.

Applications from students who have failed at or been excluded from other veterinary schools will not be accepted at Cambridge

Professional expectations

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has certain expectations regarding the attitudes, behaviour and performance of veterinary students. Trainee veterinary surgeons at Cambridge must satisfy the RCVS fitness to practise requirements, both when applying and throughout the course. These requirements are in place to ensure the safety of patients and patients' owners.

Disclosure and Barring Service check

If you are offered a place to study Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, you're required to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Overseas students are asked to provide similar evidence.

Where courses may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, students are legally required to undergo an enhanced DBS check. The University will send further instructions on registering with the DBS as part of the admissions process.

Minor misdemeanours will not necessarily prevent you from entering the veterinary profession but you should declare these in your UCAS application and you will be sent the relevant forms to complete if you are offered a place.

More details can be found on the University's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) webpage and on the Faculty of Biology website.

Your health

Veterinary surgeons, even as students and trainees, have a responsibility to be honest and open about their own health and all successful applicants are required to complete a confidential occupational health assessment. A questionnaire will be included with your offer letter and, once completed, should be returned to the University’s Occupational Health Service.

The assessment is also to inform the University of any long-term health conditions or disabilities that you have which require specific support, so that this can be in place before you start the course.

Disability, Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) and health conditions

A disability, SpLD or long-term health condition needn't prevent you from becoming a veterinary surgeon if you can satisfy the professional fitness to practise requirements.

In these circumstances please contact a College Admissions Tutor, or the Director of Teaching at the Department of Veterinary Medicine as early as possible to discuss your needs and the course requirements. Such disclosures are considered independently of academic qualifications and the interview process.

The University's Disability Resource Centre (DRC) can provide general advice and guidance to prospective and current students with a disability, SpLD or long-term health condition.

For further information about studying Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge see the Department of Veterinary Medicine website.

Resources

Find out more about Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge

Vet School Admissions webpage - For more information about what it’s like to be a vet at Cambridge, and how to apply, see the Vet School Admissions webpage

Department of Veterinary Medicine - Explore Veterinary Medicine in more detail on the faculty website.

Veterinary Students Handbook - General introduction to the Cambridge veterinary course, and covers mainly the first two years.

Basic Science Concepts - Basic concepts you will be expected to be familiar with during your first year.

Costs of Studying Medicine or Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge - Information on the additional costs associated with the study of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Application information - Information about applying to study Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge.

Rules and legal compliance - All offers to study Medicine or Veterinary Medicine are dependent on an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for UK applicants.

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website.

Vet School Facebook - University of Cambridge Vet School

KIS

Unistats Information

Contextual Information

From September 2012, every undergraduate course of more than one year's duration will have a Key Information Set (KIS). The KIS allows you to compare 17 pieces of information about individual courses at different higher education institutions.

However, please note that superficially similar courses often have very different structures and objectives, and that the teaching, support and learning environment that best suits you can only be determined by identifying your own interests, needs, expectations and goals, and comparing them with detailed institution- and course-specific information.

We recommend that you look thoroughly at the course and University information contained on these webpages and consider coming to visit us on an Open Day, rather than relying solely on statistical comparison.

You may find the following notes helpful when considering information presented by the KIS.

The KIS relies on superficially similar courses being coded in the same way. Whilst this works on one level, it leads to some anomalies. For example, Music courses and Music Technology courses can have exactly the same code despite being very different programmes with quite distinct educational and career outcomes.

Any course which combines several disciplines (as many courses at Cambridge do) tends to be compared nationally with courses in just one of those disciplines, and in such cases a KIS comparison may not be an accurate or fair reflection of the reality of either. For example, you may find that when considering a degree which embraces a range of disciplines such as biology, physics, chemistry and geology (for instance, Natural Sciences at Cambridge), the comparison provided is with courses at other institutions that primarily focus on just one (or a smaller combination) of those subjects.

Whilst the KIS makes reference to some broad types of financial support offered by institutions, it cannot compare packages offered by different institutions. Different students have different circumstances and requirements, and you should weigh up what matters to you most: level of fee; fee waivers; means-tested support such as bursaries; non-means-tested support such as academic scholarships and study grants; and living costs such as accommodation, travel.

The KIS provides a typical cost of private (ie non-university) accommodation. This is very difficult to estimate as prices and properties vary. University accommodation can be substantially cheaper, and if you are likely to live in College for much or all of the duration of your course (as is the case at Cambridge), then the cost of private accommodation will be of less or no relevance for you. The KIS also provides the typical annual cost of university accommodation and the number of beds available. Note that since most universities offer a range of residential accommodation, you should check with institutions about the likelihood of securing a room at a price that suits your budget. Knowing the number of beds available is not necessarily useful: it may be much more important to find out if all students are guaranteed accommodation.

Time in lectures, seminars and similar can vary enormously by institution depending on the structure of the course, and the quality of such contact time should be the primary consideration.

Whilst starting salaries can be a useful measure, they do not give any sense of career trajectory or take account of the voluntary/low paid work that many graduates undertake initially in order to gain valuable experience necessary/advantageous for later career progression.

The above list is not exhaustive and there may be other important factors that are relevant to the choices that you are making, but we hope that this will be a useful starting point to help you delve deeper than the face value of the KIS data.

Undergraduate Study

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