The Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) programme aims to educate future leaders in veterinary medicine who are equipped to advance animal health and welfare. The bespoke curriculum incorporates the best aspects of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programme at Cornell University, which is ranked 3rd in QS World University Rankings for Veterinary Science 2024. It features small group problem-based learning and comprehensive, evidence-based veterinary training at state-of-the-art teaching laboratories and clinical facilities. This programme ensures that students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become successful veterinarians anywhere in the world.

Highlighted Features

• First and only professional veterinary medicine degree in Hong Kong with dual accreditation from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC)
• Graduates can register to practice in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, or any other country recognising AVBC or RCVS accreditation, without further examinations
• Four themes tailored to the local context: Animal Welfare, Aquatic Animal Health, Emerging Infectious Diseases and Food Safety
• Opportunities to gain hands-on experience at our world-class clinical facilities, including the CityUHK Veterinary Medical Centre, CityUHK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and CityUHK Farm
• Mentorship Scheme to provide academic guidance and personal support throughout six years of study

Global Exposure and Global Vision

• The well-established partnership with Cornell University offers numerous opportunities to the students, such as:

• Animal husbandry training at Cornell’s extensive large animal facilities
• Guest lectures from internationally recognized experts
• Exchange opportunities in the clinical years

• Flagship Scholarship recipients will be eligible for an exchange placement at Cornell University, providing students with advanced training in research, leadership skills and clinical practice.

The BVM is a six-year programme jointly developed with our partner, the College of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell University. It is designed to train professionally competent veterinarians in accordance with the international accreditation standards of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Upon graduation, students will have fulfilled the Day One Competences of the AVBC, RCVS and OIE and will be confident and competent to practice.

The first two years of the programme focus on biomedical and pre-clinical disciplines that will equip students with the knowledge and understanding required to embark on the para-clinical and clinical curriculum taught in Years Three to Six of the BVM.

During Years One and Two, students will become confident in understanding and assessing the normal behaviour of a range of different species and in handling them for health assessments and clinical examinations. Years Three and Four incorporate problem-based learning to deliver key para-clinical courses, including the Animal Body, Function and Dysfunction and Host, Agent and Defence. In Years Five and Six, students learn about diseases and preventive health care of a wide range of animal species, apply evidence-based medicine skills to conduct research and apply and practise their clinical skills in a variety of different settings, e.g., clinical practices as well as abattoirs, laboratories, or government veterinary services.

The six-year curriculum emphasises both clinical practice and the science that underlies it, ensuring that BVM students develop into well-rounded veterinarians omnicompetent to provide veterinary care to multiple animal species, including companion animals (cats, dogs, horses), exotics and wildlife, marine and freshwater species and livestock.

The four BVM themes, comprising animal welfare, aquatic animal health, emerging infectious diseases, and food safety, are introduced from Day 1 of the BVM programme.

The completion of some curriculum components may require students to spend time at facilities outside of Hong Kong, including Chinese Mainland.

For more information about the BVM (including more details about courses and workload), click here or visit the BVM website.

As the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) undergraduate degree programme is one of the Flagship Programmes offered by CityUHK, the ten highest-ranking local JUPAS and direct students admitted to the BVM programme each year will be awarded the Flagship Scholarship.

The Flagship Scholarship goes towards covering tuition fees and hall fees, guarantees a berth in the Halls of Residence and includes a one-off special sponsorship for one exchange placement at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, which is ranked 3rd in QS World University Rankings for Veterinary Science 2024, in addition to the compulsory Cornell Extra-mural Studies (EMS) programme already embedded in the BVM programme.

The following placements at Cornell are offered depending on availability:

• a place in the Veterinary Investigator Program (VIP) , a 10-week summer programme designed to provide veterinary students with rigorous and rewarding exposure to biomedical research at the highest level of inquiry and to motivate students to pursue the study of research problems that are relevant to veterinary medicine.
• a place in the Leadership Program for Veterinary Students, a summer research experience for veterinary students who seek to broadly influence the veterinary profession through a science-based career.
• a place in the Summer Dairy Institute Program, a concentrated 6-week course of the highest quality to a select group of professionals whose career objective is to enhance the well-being of dairy cattle such that they contribute to efficient, profitable, and environmentally sound production of safe food.
• a Clinical EMS placement of four weeks duration after completion of Year 5 or during Year 6 only.

Based on the student's HKDSE scores, they will be offered either a full or half scholarship. The scholarship will be automatically renewed annually throughout the normal duration of the programme, on the condition that the student continues their study in the BVM programme by the end of Semester B each year.

For more information about this and other scholarships, go to CityUHK Scholarships for Hong Kong Talents - City University of Hong Kong.

International Programme Accreditation

The BVM Programme has been internationally accredited by both the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Our BVM Programme is the only programme in Asia to be directly accredited by AVBC and RCVS.

Registration

With dual accreditation of the BVM Programme by AVBC and RCVS, graduates can register to practise in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, without the need to sit further examinations.

Individual graduates need to fulfil the registration requirements of relevant professional bodies, which can include certain minimum fitness to practise standards relating to medical or physical conditions, conduct or competence issues, disciplinary findings, convictions, language skills, etc.

Information about registering as a veterinary surgeon in Hong Kong is available on the website of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSBHK).

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will also allow veterinary graduates who are Chinese nationals and are registered in Hong Kong or Macau to sit the Chinese National Veterinary Licensing Examination.

The Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences offers a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) programme modelled on the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programme of Cornell University.

Our vision is to become a centre of excellence in veterinary medicine and life sciences education and research and to be one of the 20 leading veterinary schools in the world within the next 20 years. Our BVM programme caters for the needs of the region, with particular emphasis on animal welfare, aquatic animal health, emerging infectious diseases, and food safety.

Our mission is to establish, in partnership with Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, a world-class veterinary programme to train high-calibre veterinarians and biomedical and life sciences professionals who can respond to the grand challenges and societal needs of our time.

The research, teaching and outreach activities of our college will advance the development of veterinary and human medicine and will focus on research excellence to understand the fundamental processes that underlie health and disease. Our overall goal is to improve the quality of life and the health of humans, animals and the environment under the One Health paradigm, and to ensure sustainable food production through safeguarding animal welfare.

Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences
CityUHK Talents Programme
Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC)
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)
Veterinary Surgeons Board (VSB)

This is one of the CityUHK’s Flagship Programmes, which equip students with essential knowledge and skills, cultivate their global leadership abilities, and connect them with leading professionals. The Flagship Scholarships, which cover tuition and hall fees, a guaranteed berth, and a one-off exchange sponsorship of up to HK$500,000, will be awarded to local JUPAS and direct talents who meet the criteria.