Bioveterinary Sciences

Bioveterinary science occupies the space between biology and veterinary medicine, focusing on the scientific understanding of animal health, disease and physiology rather than clinical practice. It is a rigorous laboratory and research discipline concerned with how diseases develop in animals, how the immune system responds, how drugs act on biological systems, and what the interactions between animal health and human health reveal about both. At the University of Reading, this programme is designed to give you a thorough grounding in the biological sciences as they apply to animals.

This three-year full-time degree includes a foundation year, which provides essential preparation in the underlying sciences before the main programme begins, making it well suited to students who wish to build their knowledge from a secure base before progressing to more advanced study. The programme also incorporates a sandwich year and work placement, giving you extended, structured experience in a professional environment. You will study animal physiology, microbiology, immunology, pharmacology and disease mechanisms, developing laboratory skills alongside theoretical understanding.

The sandwich year allows you to put this knowledge into practice in a veterinary, biomedical or research setting, building professional skills and industry contacts before you complete your degree.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in veterinary research, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, animal health companies, public health agencies and academic research institutions. Roles in laboratory science, clinical trials, disease surveillance, drug development and regulatory affairs are all within reach. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study, taking masters or doctoral programmes in biomedical science, pharmacology, immunology, wildlife disease or related fields.

Some use the degree as preparation for graduate-entry veterinary medicine programmes.