Undergraduate

In Years 1 and 2, the Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos (MVST), you are taught the relevant core scientific knowledge and skills that you will need as a veterinary medicine professional.

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

The main areas of learning in the MVST are covered by courses in:

• Homeostasis - covering the physiological systems which underpin the body's regulation of its internal environment and its responses to external threats. You also have related practical classes in experimental physiology and histology
• Molecules in Medical Science - looking at the chemical and molecular basis of how cells and organisms work
• Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology - functional anatomy of organs and tissues of domestic animals
• Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine - covering epidemiology and how it is applied in medicine
• Biology of Disease - dealing with the nature and mechanisms of disease processes
• Mechanisms of Drug Action - providing an understanding of the basic mechanisms of drug action at the levels of both drug-receptor interactions and the effects on body systems
• Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour - covering the structure and function of the sense organs and central nervous system, and the effects of drugs on brain function
• Veterinary Reproductive Biology - looking at the physiology of reproduction in domestic animals
• Comparative Vertebrate Biology - an introduction to the study of fish, reptiles, birds, laboratory and exotic mammals

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 a course in the Principles of Animal Management (the fundamental concepts of breeding and raising livestock).

You can find more details about the MVST online at: www.cam.ac.uk/mvst/.

You specialise in one of a wide range of other subjects offered by the University (sometimes referred to as intercalation at other universities) to qualify for the BA degree. Options include

• Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences in Natural Sciences, which offers a large range of subjects, including:
  • Pathology
  • Physiology
  • Zoology
• a single Part II Natural Sciences subject
• a subject less obviously related to veterinary medicine, such as Anthropology, Management Studies or Philosophy

Successful completion of the Pre-Clinical Studies leads to a BA degree. All veterinary students then continue to the three years of Clinical Studies at the Department of Veterinary Medicine.

You study topics including:

• animal breeding
• nutrition and welfare
• animal pathology
• microbiology and veterinary parasitology
• species medicine
• clinical pharmacology
• radiography
• gastroenterology
• communication skills

You also learn about veterinary public health, including food hygiene, state veterinary medicine and the medicine of laboratory animals.

These topics are examined in Part I of the Final Veterinary Examination in a series of 15 single-subject examinations.

Clinical tuition begins with basic clinical methods and integrated teaching in the husbandry 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 animal species, radiography and post-mortem investigation.

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

• cardiology
• neurology
• oncology
• clinical pathology
• endocrinology
• in various surgical topics
• communication skills

Two mornings every week are again set aside for practical clinical work, including visits to external establishments such as the RSPCA clinic, and one morning a week is used for medical demonstrations.

Part II of the Final Veterinary Examination then 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.

This year is lecture free with tuition centred on small-group clinical teaching in which groups rotate through different disciplines in the hospital with individual clinicians.

You are given the maximum possible responsibility for the management of clinical cases, allowing you to develop your clinical and problem-solving skills and client communication skills in a real clinical practice environment.

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.

Course requirements and selection for Veterinary Medicine

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

GCSEs

Students wishing to study Veterinary Medicine must obtain:

• grade C or above in GCSE (or equivalent) Double Award Science and Mathematics
• two single awards in GCSE Biology and Physics may be substituted for Double Award Science

AS/A Levels

• Applicants must have AS or A Level passes in Chemistry and two of Biology/Human Biology, Physics, Mathematics.
• At least one pass must be at A Level, although most applicants for Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge have at least three science/mathematics A Levels and some Colleges require this or ask for particular A Level subject(s). See individual College websites for details.

Although many Colleges consider applicants offering only two science/mathematics subjects at A Level, please note that the success rate of such applicants is much lower. In the past three admissions rounds, 93 per cent of applicants for Veterinary Medicine offered three or more science/mathematics A Levels and, of these, 26 per cent were successful in obtaining a place. Of the seven per cent of applicants who offered only two science/mathematics A Levels, just five per cent were successful in gaining a place.

International Baccalaureate

The GCSE and AS/A Level subject requirements also apply to the IB:

• Individual Middle Years Programme subject results validated by the IB at grade 4 or above will satisfy the GCSE requirements
• Standard Level subjects are broadly comparable to AS Levels, and Higher Level subjects are broadly comparable to A Levels

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 for details of other qualifications and please consult any College Admissions Tutor for further advice.

Graduate entry

Graduates wishing to study Veterinary Medicine may apply as an affiliated student to Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund's or Wolfson Colleges with:

• a good honours degree in a science subject
• GCSEs (or equivalent) as course requirements
• passes at GCSE and AS/A Levels (or equivalent) as above

The Bio-Medical Admissions Test (BMAT)

All applicants for Veterinary Medicine are required to sit the BMAT and must enter for the test by 1 October 2012.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they enter for the BMAT by 1 October. This means you must enter for the BMAT test before submitting your UCAS application by 15 October. Information about how to register for BMAT is available from the BMAT website.

Selection

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.

Professional expectations

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

Criminal record check

If you are offered a place to study Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, you're required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure through the Criminal Records Bureau.

All offers of a place on this course for UK students will be subject to Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) registration and a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). 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.

Where courses may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, students are legally required to register with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS), which is administered by the ISA. The University will send further instructions on registering with the VBS as part of the admissions process.

Overseas students will be asked to provide similar evidence.

More details can be found on the University's Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosures webpage at: www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/students/crb/ and on the Faculty of Biology's 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.

Disabilities, Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) and health conditions

A disability, SpLD or health condition needn't prevent you from becoming a veterinary surgeon if you can satisfy the professional fitness for practise requirements. However, in these circumstances you should contact a College Admissions Tutor, or the Dean or Director of Teaching at the Department of Veterinary Medicine as early as possible to discuss your needs and the course requirements. Such disclosures will be considered independently of your academic qualifications and the interview process.

The University's Disability Resource Centre may also be able to provide additional guidance.

Work experience

Although work experience is not a requirement for applicants, some experience is useful in order to understand the profession and what is required of its members. However, successful applicants do not necessarily have extensive work experience and we stress that other forms of extra-curricular activity can be beneficial.

During the first three years of the course, you must complete your Pre-Clinical Extramural Studies. This involves 12 weeks work experience with animals during the University vacations, in order to gain knowledge of animal husbandry. Work experience carried out before starting the course cannot be counted.

During the Clinical Studies, you must complete 26 weeks of Clinical Extramural Study, which involves varied practical experience with veterinary surgeons during University vacations.

The table below sets out the ways in which each College assesses applicants for this subject. For more information about these methods of assessment and why we use them, see the main Admissions tests and written work page.

College	Assessment of applicant for this subject
Christ's	Not available at this College
Churchill	BMAT
Clare	BMAT
Corpus Christi	Not available at this College
Downing	BMAT
Emmanuel	BMAT; Preparatory study at interview
Fitzwilliam	BMAT
Girton	BMAT
Gonville & Caius	BMAT
Homerton	Not available at this College
Hughes Hall	Not available at this College
Jesus	BMAT
King's	Not available at this College
Lucy Cavendish	BMAT
Magdalene	BMAT
Murray Edwards	BMAT
Newnham	BMAT
Pembroke	BMAT
Peterhouse	Not available at this College
Queens'	BMAT
Robinson	BMAT; Preparatory study at interview
St Catharine's	BMAT
St Edmund's	BMAT
St John's	BMAT
Selwyn	BMAT
Sidney Sussex	BMAT
Trinity	Not available at this College
Trinity Hall	BMAT
Wolfson	BMAT

If you are interested in applying for this course, please see our Applying section for more details.