New pathway now taking applications from prospective veterinary medicine students

Posted 31 July 2019

Harper Adams has created a new route for students who miss out on or are not quite ready for vet school places to bolster their learning and experience ready for entry to the Harper & Keele Veterinary School in 2020.

The Extended Degree in Bioveterinary Science (Veterinary Science) is now open to applications from students wishing to commence their studies in September 2019.

The programme includes a preparatory year, with a dedicated pathway available for aspiring vet school students, which will help them to advance their academic and practical skills. The pathway includes two Veterinary Related Vocational Skills modules focussed on farm and equine and companion animals respectively. It will also allow the students to broaden their outlook through study of Global Issues and their Business Impact.

Carwyn Ellis, Head of the Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences Department at Harper Adams, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for someone with the required academic achievements who has been unable to obtain the required levels of practical experience to qualify for vet school, to obtain such experience during a structured year for which student finance is available – for both tuition and living costs.

“It’s not unusual for someone to struggle to gain farm experience, as they might not have the connections. But here we have a full working farm with multiple livestock operations, as well as our companion animal house with a range of species, and specialist staff with veterinary practice experience.”

Further modules on the pathway leading to the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVetMS) degree include Academic Skills, Readings in Applied Science and Physiological Chemistry.

These modules are also included in an alternative pathway, which has been designed for students seeking progress to Bioveterinary Science, Veterinary Nursing and Veterinary Nursing degrees at Harper Adams University. This group of students will also study ICT, Mathematics and Statistics, Introduction to Animal Biology and Animal Management and Welfare.

“Shared modules with students working towards careers in different veterinary professions, will benefit the students and the sector from the outset, forging team working ethos and understanding of each other’s roles,” added Mr Ellis.

Depending on the degree they wish to progress on to, students will face various assessments before being allowed to move up. These include performance during the preparatory year prior academic performance (A-levels etc) for some routes and “fitness to practice”, for veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and veterinary physiotherapy.

Prospective vet school students will have to achieve a minimum of 75 per cent across their dedicated pathway to secure a place. But all will have the option to continue on a bioveterinary science degree route.

Interviews for the Veterinary Science preparatory year will take place at the end of August. Interested candidates should visit the website or call admissions on 01952 81 5000