MSc Veterinary Science

The MSc in Veterinary Science is designed as a framework to allow students to undertake a flexible programme of study in key areas of veterinary science based around infection and ecology to provide students with a range of skills and knowledge to equip them for a career in research, veterinary practice, industry and government either in general or specialised areas. The programme is available for both postgraduate entry and for intercalation by veterinary and medical undergraduates after their first three years of study. The programme is closely linked to the successful research groups in infection biology, parasitology, zoonoses, epidemiology, disease ecology and animal behaviour in the School of Veterinary Science and to microbiology, genomics and ecology groups in the Schools of Biological Sciences and Infection and Host Defence including the National Centre for Zoonosis Research. The organisation of the programme allows students to follow one of five named pathways or to take a general programme of study. The pathways are: Conservation Medicine Parasitology Epidemiology and infection Infection and immunity Infection and Disease Control The programme will be delivered through a combination of problem-based learning, more traditional teaching and learning methods including lectures and seminars and through innovative 'hands on' learning such as disease outbreak simulations, interactive workshops and field trips and through a month long placement in industry, government, conservation organisations and research institutes. The aim is to provide not only knowledge and academic skills, but also to provide our graduates with 'real skills for real life' particularly in applying skills as professionals in areas such as ecology and conservationcontrol of infectious disease and in influencing and developing policy in these areas. The broad aims of the programme are: 1.To provide specific training in infectious disease, disease ecology and conservation and veterinary public health to an advanced level that allow graduates to play a major role in these disciplines including development and application of policy in the UK and worldwide. Graduates of the programme would be ideally placed to play a key role in research, industry or government in priority areas including food security and in vivo biology 2.To foster and develop skills in veterinary and general research methodology 3.To develop 'real skills for the real world' including communication, knowledge exchange and skills in critical evaluation and analysis. Uniquely the programme develops understanding ,development and application of policy and an appreciation of the global impact of the subject area Programme structure All students follow 3 core modules that award 100 credits. The remaining 80 credits are made up from a range of subject-specific and optional modules. Core Modules: Research and Generic Skills- Workshop-based module providing skills required for research including statistics Placement- 4 weeks in industry, research or government in a related area Research Project-4 month project within an acive research groups Optional and subject specific modules: Basic Epidemiology Real time simulated disease outbreak scenarios Host-pathogen interactions Strategies for Disease Control Pathogens Genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic technologies in biological research Veterinary Parasitology Zoonoses Advanced Infectious Disease Epidemiology Conservation medicine 1 Conservation medicine 2 Advanced Statistics