Postgraduate

Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health (MSc, Postgraduate Diploma and postgraduate Certificate)

Is this programme for me?

This programme will provide animal health specialists, epidemiologists and public health specialists with an understanding of the conceptual basis of veterinary epidemiology and public health.

Programme aims

Graduates of this programme will be able to:

• develop their skills in basic and advanced statistical methods in order to undertake epidemiological investigations and disease modelling

• introduce the use of economic concepts in animal health and production

• challenge the perceptions of what constitutes safe food production and make an objective judgement of contemporary issues such as antibiotic resistance

• develop their own strategies for combating chronic farm animal diseases, control zoonotic diseases through surveillance and apply herd health programmes to maximise economic returns from animal production.

Programme summary

	You study	Study period	Cost (2010)
MSc	7 courses	2-5 years	£9,120
Postgraduate Diploma	4 courses	1-5 years	£5,415
Postgraduate Certificate	2 courses	1-5 years	£2,850
Short courses	Short courses, either 240-hour, 50-hour or 35-hour, are ideal if you're keen to update your professional knowledge, enhance your career, or sample the programme.

Prestige

The programme has been developed by academics at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), the largest veterinary school in the UK and one of the leading veterinary research centres in Europe. In 1999, RVC became the first UK veterinary school to be granted approval by the American Veterinary Medical Association. RVC also provides support for the veterinary profession through its three referral hospitals, diagnostic services and continuing professional development courses.

Career progression

Graduates of the programme are employed in a variety of organisations including the Department of Environment, Animal Disease Research Institutes, University Veterinary faculties and international organisations including the FAO and WHO.

Excellent support

The support you receive includes:

• academic feedback on written assignments

• tutorial support concerning academic matters from RVC staff

• opportunities for local networking and mutual support from other students on the programme

• as all of the study materials you require are mailed to you, you don't have to purchase expensive textbooks or spend time trying to locate journals, which may not be available to you locally.

Summary of key dates

Application deadline			1 November
Registration deadline			1 January
Programme starts			February
Examinations take place			October

Please note: a related programme in Livestock Health and Production is also available.

Frequently Asked Questions University of London recently held an online chat event for which a transcript is available.  This covers most of the frequently asked questions about these courses.