Foundation to Veterinary Science

Veterinary science is one of the most demanding and rewarding degree programmes in higher education, preparing graduates to diagnose and treat disease in animals, promote animal welfare, safeguard public health through food safety and the management of zoonotic diseases, and contribute to the scientific understanding of animal biology. The profession requires exceptional scientific knowledge, strong clinical skills, and the emotional resilience to make difficult decisions about animal welfare and to communicate sensitively with the people who care for the animals you treat.

At the University of Liverpool, this programme includes a foundation year, making it a six-year full-time degree in total. The foundation year is a Year 0, providing a preparatory stage for students who do not yet have the qualifications needed to enter the main veterinary programme but who show the aptitude and commitment to succeed in veterinary education with additional preparation. This is a distinctive and important pathway that extends access to the veterinary profession for students who might otherwise not be able to enter it directly.

The degree also includes a year abroad, providing an international dimension to the clinical and academic training. Over the full six years, you will study the biological sciences underpinning veterinary medicine, animal physiology and pathology, clinical medicine and surgery, farm animal practice, equine medicine, exotic animal care, public health, and professional skills, with increasing amounts of time spent in clinical settings as you progress.

Graduates qualify as veterinary surgeons, registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and go on to careers in small animal practice, farm animal medicine, equine practice, exotic animal medicine, public health and food safety, research, the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, and government veterinary services. Veterinary medicine is a profession with enormous breadth, and Liverpool's international dimension prepares graduates for careers that may span different countries and animal populations.