Programme Information

The five-year undergraduate degree is our main route into veterinary medicine. The five-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVM&S) degree will prepare you for many aspects of the veterinary profession.

Studying Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh will give you transferable skills such as effective communication, teambuilding and an understanding of business management.

Veterinary training also provides an outstanding background for those who wish to pursue a career in biomedical research, including both veterinary and human medicine.

Our long-standing combination of tradition and cutting-edge veterinary teaching benefits from a close-knit collegial community of students.

A Day in the Life of A Vet Student

Accreditation

Our degree are accredited by:

• The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
• The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)
• The European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE)

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is accredited by the AVMA. The last evaluation was in 2022 and the next will be taking place in 2029.

The degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVM&S) is the equivalent to the North American Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and has the same standing worldwide.

Like graduates from North American Vet Schools, graduates from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are required to take the multiple-choice North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) in order to practice in the United States or Canada.

Students can sit the NAVLE in the UK or in North America before graduating.

The NAVLE is administered by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA). Please consult ICVA materials for information on test locations, costs, etc., bearing in mind that these may change during the course of your veterinary studies.

Teaching and Learning

Year one

• The Animal Body 1 and 2
• Animal Life & Food Safety 1
• Professional and Clinical Skills 1

Year two

• The Animal Body 3 and 4
• Animal Life & Food Safety 2
• Student Research Component
• Professional and Clinical Skills 2

Year three

• Veterinary Pathology
• Integrated Clinical Course - Dog and Cat
• Professional Clinical Skills 3
• Clinical Foundation Course 3

Year four

• Integrated Clinical Course: Farm Animal
• Integrated Clinical Course: Equine
• Integrated Clinical Course: Exotics
• Professional and Clinical Skills 4
• Veterinary Public Health

Year five

• Final Year Rotations
• Student Research Component

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) requires that all students also complete 12 weeks of mainly agricultural Extramural Studies (EMS) before starting the third year of the programme.

Your Extramural Studies offer you the chance to gain more knowledge and experience in particular areas of interest.

This is followed by a period of 26 weeks’ clinical EMS, where you will participate in a wide range of veterinary-related activities at home and abroad during the vacation periods. You can tailor some of your Extramural experience to your own particular interests.