A veterinary medicine degree in the UK will give students an excellent base to begin their veterinary career, equipping them with the knowledge and ability to help with the surgical treatment and care of animals. Transferrable skills will also see graduates move into sectors such as food safety, research and pharmaceuticals.
A typical veterinary medicine undergraduate degree lasts five years and modules generally cover anatomy and physiology, animal husbandry, microbiology, public health, parasitology and pathology. The first two years of the programme are classed as the foundation phase, with the third and fourth clinical and fifth professional.
Data from the Veterinary Schools Council Admissions Guide revealed that approximately 2,400 people applied for 1,200 places to study in 2021, meaning applicants have around a 50% chance of gaining a place in their first year of application.
Veterinary medicine graduates are in demand and will move into private animal welfare practices, as well as working at charities, laboratories, abattoirs and within the public health sector. If a student chooses to continue study at the postgraduate level, careers can be forged in more specialist areas of the profession.
Please note that entry requirements vary for each UK university.
To learn more about the best veterinary medicine courses in the UK, find details on the top ranking Veterinary Science universities in the Guardian University Guide 2025 below:
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