Veterinary Degrees Online

Animal sciences and industry offers a program
that prepares students for careers in
the animal industry. The curriculum combines
studies in nutrition, genetics, reproduction,
behavior, physiology, business
and technology with production, management
and agribusiness skills.
The diversity and flexibility within the
program allows students from both urban
and agricultural backgrounds to plan programs
of study consistent with individual
interests and goals.
Some reasons to study animal science:
• The department is highly respected by
other animal scientists.
• Animal science is progressive and technical.
It prepares students for a variety of
good jobs both in the livestock and companion
animal industries.
• Program diversity allows students with
broad interests to gain knowledge of many
subjects, while specializing in one area.
• Quality of instruction in classrooms and
laboratories is among the best the university
offers.
The industry
The goal of the ever-changing animal
science industry is to produce and develop
safe, quality meat to meet consumer
demand both home and abroad. The
industry is also expanding in companion
animal needs. It strives to make the lives
of companion animals and their owners
better through fulfilling, nutritional, pharmaceutical
and behavior needs.
Careers
Career opportunities in animal sciences
range from self-employment to jobs with
large corporations. In the business world,
positions include management, sales,
product development, market reporting,
personnel administration, regulation, and
field service. Education positions include
county agent, research worker, and
laboratory director. Communication businesses
hire editors, field representatives,
radio broadcasters, journalists, and public
relations professionals.
Among others, K-State animal science
graduates are employed by artificial
insemination services, feed companies,
banks, equipment suppliers, meat packers,
food processors, dairy plants, feedlots,
poultry breeders, equipment manufacturers,
commercial hog operations, equine
breeding and training ranches, breed associations,
pet food companies, pharmaceutical
companies, and pet and farm stores.
Faculty
Effective instruction is a constant goal
of the Department of Animal Sciences
and Industry. Several faculty members
have received national and international
recognition for their accomplishments in
teaching and research.
Academic programs
Beef and dairy cattle, sheep, swine,
horses, companion animals and poultry
are studied, as are the products they use
and produce.
You’ll select one of the following options
of study to complete a bachelor of science
in agriculture degree:
Animal products
This option is designed for students seeking
employment in the food industry.
Course work includes food and meat
processing; chemistry; microbiology;
technology; and other related topics.
The wholesomeness and safety of animal
food products are stressed.
Business
The business option is for students
interested in entering the broad field of
agribusiness, whether it be in finance,
management, personnel administration,
merchandising, or another area. This
option uses many courses from the
College of Business Administration
and the Department of Agricultural
Economics. A minor in business can be
easily incorporated into this curriculum
and is encouraged.
Communications
This option is for students interested in
journalism, advertising, editing, or public
relations. This option includes courses
from the School of Journalism and Mass
Communications such as news writing,
editing and design, public relations writing,
photography, and related topics.
Production/management
The production/management option is for
the student who wants a sound education
in the breeding, feeding, care, and welfare
of animals. This option combines production,
nutrition, and management courses,
with courses from the College of Business
Administration and the Department of
Agricultural Economics to provide a solid
basis for a career in animal management
and production.
Science/pre-vet
Science/pre-vet serves three areas:
students who pursue graduate work for
an advanced degree, students who seek
admission to a College of Veterinary
Medicine, or students who intend to pursue
a career in research. As the name of
the option implies, courses in chemistry,
physics, mathematics, and biology are
emphasized.

Description:
Veterinarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, zoo animals, and sporting and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians work in livestock production and in research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical and applied knowledge. Others use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research into human and animal health problems.

JCU’s School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences has offered the Bachelor of Veterinary Science since 2006. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to diagnose, treat and prevent disease in a wide range of animals including companion animals, farm animals, aquatic species and native fauna. In addition, students will acquire a thorough knowledge of animal production systems, particularly tropical animal husbandry and aquaculture.

The final year of the course is devoted to clinical and professional training and is delivered in a series of clinical rotations through veterinary hospitals, practices, laboratories and government agencies in Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Charters Towers and Malanda. Graduates will be eligible for registration as a veterinarian.

Duration:
5 years full-time

Mode:
On campus (Internal), full time

Workload:
Normal workload expectations are a minimum of 10 hours per week for every subject, including class contact hours, preparation and time spent on assessment tasks.

Type:
Undergraduate

Credit points:
120 credit points o

Intake:
February

Campus:
Townsville

When you complete this course, you will have developed skills in the diagnosis and management of disease in all common species of farm animals (cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and fish) and companion animals (horses, dogs, cats, and others). As a result of the unique structure of the CSU course, you will have particular aptitude, skills and knowledge for working in the farm animal industries.

To achieve this, the course provides a solid grounding in agricultural production systems and the integration of nutrition, genetics, economics and epidemiology into the management of herds and flocks. The CSU course recognises the role of veterinarians in ensuring the safety of animal products for human consumption and the welfare of animals in livestock production systems.

In addition to your scientific and technical training, you will also develop a range of life skills and business skills which will help you in your work as a rural veterinarian.
Where it will take you

Veterinarians may be employed in private practice and in herd management consultancy, the public sector, research and diagnostic services, pharmaceutical research and development, and captive animal health.
Your course is recognised by industry

The process of accreditation of the course by the Australian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) has commenced. Final accreditation does not take place until the final year of the initial intake which will be in 2010.
Practical exerience

Clinical teaching in surgery, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, individual animal medicine and population medicine will take place in year four in clinical settings and will develop the student’s ability to solve problems in the health and disease management of individual animals, herds and flocks. This will be done by continuing a case-based approach to learning, which will require students to integrate all of their prior learning in the course.

Students will be unable to effectively participate in the clinical teaching in year four unless they have a high level of knowledge and understanding of the basic sciences taught in years one and two, pathology, parasitology, microbiology, nutrition, reproduction, the integration of veterinary medicine into animal production systems, and have developed the skills of integrated learning in clinical, case-based contexts through the problem based learning curriculum of second semester, year three.
Credit

CSU does not usually expect students to repeat relevant study completed at an acceptable standard at university level. However, there are some subjects in the Bachelor of Veterinary Science / Bachelor of Veterinary Biology for which credit will not be granted.
Honours stream

To transfer into the Honours stream at the beginning of the fifth year, you must have obtained a grade point average of 5 or higher in all 8 point or 16 point subjects that you studied in second, third and fourth year. Successful students will be included in a special program of Honours workshops and tutorials in fifth year and choose a project and potential supervisor during first semester.

The Animal and Veterinary Sciences curriculum is designed to provide a broad biological training as well as a thorough understanding of the breeding, diseases, genetics, management, nutrition and physiology of large animals, and laboratory and companion animals. Animal and Veterinary Sciences courses also serve as elective opportunities for students in other agricultural and life sciences, and in other colleges. This department administers the Pre-Veterinary program and provides an opportunity for students to be certified to teach high school biology and agriculture.

For students who like to work with animals—either companion animals or livestock—the Veterinary Science Program is a perfect place to start your studies. The Veterinary Science Program is a pre-professional program that satisfies the entrance requirements for professional veterinary schools that offer a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree.

Students who satisfy the pre-veterinary coursework, the university’s core requirements and are accepted into a professional veterinary school, may qualify for a bachelor of science degree from the University of Nevada, Reno after completion of 32 credits at the professional school.

The Associate of Science Degree in Pre-Veterinary Medicine is intended to fulfill preadmission requirements on the freshman and sophomore levels for a school of veterinary medicine; students will need to transfer to a four-year school to continue working toward a Bachelor’s degree. Most students who are admitted to a veterinary medicine program have completed the bachelor’s degree. The curriculum in the WSCC catalog is not designed for transfer to any specific school. Students may to talk with a faculty advisor about a particular college or university’s course requirements and transfer.

Career and Major Information:

Veterinarians play a major role in the healthcare of pets, livestock, and zoo, sporting, and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. Others work in basic research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical knowledge and, in applied research, developing new ways to use knowledge.

Most veterinarians perform clinical work in private practices. More than one-half of these veterinarians predominately, or exclusively, treat small animals. Small-animal practitioners usually care for companion animals, such as dogs and cats, but also treat birds, reptiles, rabbits, and other animals that can be kept as pets. About one-fourth of all veterinarians work in mixed animal practices where they see pigs, goats, sheep, and some nondomestic animals, in addition to companion animals. Veterinarians in clinical practice diagnose animal health problems; vaccinate against diseases, such as distemper and rabies; medicate animals suffering from infections or illnesses; treat and dress wounds; set fractures; perform surgery; and advise owners about animal feeding, behavior, and breeding.

A small number of private practice veterinarians work exclusively with large animals, focusing mostly on horses or cows; some also care for various kinds of food animals. These veterinarians usually drive to farms or ranches to provide veterinary services for herds or individual animals. Much of this work involves preventive care to maintain the health of the food animals. These veterinarians test for and vaccinate against diseases and consult with farm or ranch owners and managers on animal production, feeding, and housing issues. They also treat and dress wounds, set fractures, and perform surgery—including cesarean sections on birthing animals. Veterinarians also euthanize animals when necessary. Other veterinarians care for zoo, aquarium, or laboratory animals (Occupational Outlook Handbook 2004-2005).

The goal of our Institute is to provide a better research environment for graduate students demanding more sophisticated knowledge and skills in basic and applied veterinary medicine. The courses given for both food and companion animals are equally emphasized. Selected basic veterinary courses, including theoretical and clinical medicine as well as disease therapy and diagnosis, are specially provided at advanced level to fulfill the student’s needs and to further train students as specialized veterinary doctors and/or medical researchers.
Courses
Advanced knowledge of veterinary medicine given to students includes veterinary physiology, bacteriology, virology, parasitology, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, clinical pathology, internal medicine of animals, surgery of animals, obstetrics and reproductive disorder of animals, zoology, autopsy, public health, photographic image diagnosis jurisdiction, associated with specific emphasis on diseases of poultry, swine, cattle, and aquatic animals. Also, lab courses associated with these regular courses are also offered.
Faculties
Currently, full-time faculty members in our Institute include two professors, five associate professors, and three assistant professors. Their professional specialties and e-mail addresses are listed as below.
Facilities
In association with this Institute and the Department, a veterinary teaching hospital has been set up for students’ clinical practice. Furthermore, the Department has installed a low temperature ultra-high speed freezing centrifugator, fluorescent microscopes, phase–contrast microscope, ultrasound scanner, blood biochemistry analyzers, electronic cell counter, multiple head teaching microscopes, ELISA analyzers, HPLC analyzers, PCR thermo-cyclers, electrophoresis instruments, freezing dryers, microcomputer-anthemia, anatomy organ photographic equipment, multifunctional physiological super-tenser, organ-photographic equipment, double-beam spectrophotometer, cryostat, animal electronic cardiographic monitor, and digital photographic teaching system to facilitate the student training and medical research.
Research Perspectives
Our graduate research projects have provided students research opportunities in both pet and food animal medicine. Scientific projects on the basic biology, bacterial and viral epidemiology and pathogenesis, as well as applied research for pet internal and surgical training are aimed to further improve and deepen students’ capabilities for future studies, especially in development of disease diagnosis, prevention, and monitoring methods for the companion and food animals.
Career Development
Veterinary medical graduates with a particular specialization are more welcome both in the industrial and academic sectors. They can serve at the government’s animal disease control and prevention office, husbandry and animal bio-technique companies. Also, more veterinary medical doctors with graduate degrees are now in the animal hospitals to serve the communities.
Perspectives
To expand the fields of preventive medicine, animal health care, and veterinary research in our Institute and Department, we plan to establish the graduate school of veterinary medicine for the PhD degree in the near future. Furthermore, we wish to actively communicate and cooperate with the other researchers all over the world to promote the research of veterinary medicine.
Research Focus:

1. To improve and develop the diagnosis, preventive, and monitoring methods of the companion animals, food animals and the wildlife animals.

2. To develop the monitoring and diagnosis kits or vaccine for infectious animal diseases.

3. To work on the transgenic or knockout mice.

4. To study and develop the bio-medicine and pharmacology of veterinary animals.

5. Investigation, studying, and analysis of veterinary public health and infectious diseases.

6. To work on the histology, immunology, molecular pathology, and histo-chemistry of the veterinary medicine.

Animal Clinical Sciences offers courses designed to meet the needs of the professional program in veterinary medicine, the post-D.V.M. clinical training programs (internships and residencies) that provide the basis for specialty board certification, and the graduate program leading to the master of science degree. Students, interns and residents have the opportunity to gain a broad base of experience in treating a variety of small animals, including companion animals and wildlife and zoo animals, through the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The hospital, equivalent to a 300-bed human hospital, provides high-quality service and patient care. The majority of the faculty are board certified and many are doing research as well as clinical work. The department has a solid reputation in orthopedic and thoracic surgery as well as anesthesiology. Current research in the department includes, but is not limited to, orthopedic research, molecular genetics, cardiomyoplasty, new anesthetic methods, and treatment and therapies for shock. In addition, a Veterinary Biomechanical Evaluation Laboratory allows veterinarians to study gait and motion in dogs. The Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research and the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine are special areas of emphasis in the department