Medicine

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Foreign:$ 63.3 k / Year(s) Deadline: Oct 15, 2024
6 place StudyQA ranking:3483 Duration:6 years

Photos of university / #cambridgeuniversity

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.

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 facilities include state-of-the-art equipment, including our clinical school – which is located just based a short distance 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.

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.

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.

  • All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
  • The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
  • IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
  • Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
  • Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.

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)

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.

  • Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).

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