Veterinary Biosciences

Veterinary biosciences is a discipline that applies the methods and knowledge of biology to the health, physiology, and diseases of animals, sitting between pure biological science and the clinical training of veterinary medicine. It provides a thorough scientific foundation in animal biology, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, and pharmacology, combined with practical experience of working with animals across a range of species. For students drawn to the biological science of animal health rather than, or as a precursor to, full veterinary clinical training, veterinary biosciences provides both a rigorous academic education and direct hands-on experience.

At Hartpury University, this three-year full-time degree gives you the opportunity to work with a range of species in an on-site animal collection, a commercial farm, and a large equine centre, gaining experience of handling and working with animals as a core part of the curriculum. You will also have the opportunity to select additional external experience through the programme's modules, developing the practical skills that working in veterinary and animal science requires alongside the scientific knowledge the biosciences demand. Hartpury's specialist facilities and its focus on animal science give the degree a genuinely applied character.

Graduates in veterinary biosciences go on to work in veterinary practices in support roles, animal research, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with an animal health focus, wildlife conservation organisations, zoos, government veterinary agencies, and academic research. Many graduates also use the degree as a foundation for further professional training, including graduate-entry veterinary medicine, postgraduate study in animal science, veterinary pathology, or biomedical research, or for roles in the animal feed, livestock, and equine industries.