What to expect

Be equipped with the skills to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease in a wide range of companion, production, aquatic, and native animals. You will gain in-depth foundational knowledge throughout your degree, as well as specialist rural and tropical veterinary science skills.

Take advantage of JCU’s real-world teaching settings, including an on-campus Veterinary and Emergency Centre and Hospital and a local working cattle station for livestock production. In your final two years, you will complete a variety of clinical placements in both rural and urban settings.

Honours

The Honours component of this degree is embedded into the course.

Career Opportunities

JCU Veterinary Science (Honours) graduates are internationally recognised as multi-skilled, highly-competent professionals who are committed to the health and welfare of animals. Our degree allows you to practice as a veterinarian in Australia.

Our graduates practise in a variety of settings. These include veterinary clinics, veterinary hospitals, agriculture, biosecurity, quarantine, public health, zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. Many pursue research in clinical care, animal science, pharmacology and biomedicine.

You may also be eligible to practise in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion, graduates of the course will be able to:

Demonstrate professional behaviours and professional practices in the discipline of veterinary science, including graduate competencies required by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)

Integrate broad and coherent knowledge of the veterinary legislative environment, and ethical codes set out by the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct and the Australian Veterinary Association Code of Professional Conduct

Critically reflect on stakeholder perspectives, cultural values and national and or international considerations relating to ethical and sustainable animal production systems

Diagnose the health status of individual animals and populations and, where necessary, formulate, communicate, implement and monitor treatment and management plans, in consultation with clients, carers, animal owners and/or communities

Promote and optimise the health and welfare of individual people and animals and/or populations, through application of the principles of epidemiology, zoonosis and public health

Retrieve, critically evaluate, and apply evidence in the performance of health-related activities, including accurate and sensitive use of quantitative and qualitative information

Deliver safe and effective collaborative health care by working effectively in teams and exercising well-developed judgment when seeking professional advice and assistance in a range of clinical situations

Identify problems related to public health and animal health and disease, and formulate solutions that are applicable and sustainable in tropical and/or rural environments

Communicate a clear, coherent and independent exposition of knowledge, ideas and findings through well-developed English language proficiency

Adapt knowledge and skills to provide specialist advice and functions in a range of workplace contexts, adhering to the principles of the organisation and organisational systems, professional ethics, and occupational health and safety regulations

Reflect on current skills, knowledge and attitudes, and plan ongoing personal and professional development with responsibility and accountability to manage career and work life effectively.