Programme Overview

Curriculum

The BVM is a six-year programme designed to train professionally competent veterinarians in accordance with the international accreditation standards of the Australasian Veterinary Boards Councils (AVBC) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). At graduation, students will have achieved the Day One Compet.

In BVM Years 1 and 2 (the pre-clinical curriculum), students undertake CityU's required 30 credit units (CUs) of Gateway Education and College-specified courses. The remaining 45 CUs comprise Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine pre-requisites and core courses. These 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 3 to 6 of the BVM. Students will become confident in understanding and assessing the expected behaviour of a range of different species and handling them for health assessments and clinical examinations. The four themes of the BVM, comprising animal welfare, aquatic animal health, emerging infectious diseases and food safety, are introduced from Day 1 of the BVM programme.

In the summer term of BVM Year 1, students enrol in two weeks of Pre-EMS Animal Handling Skills to prepare them for the 12 weeks of Husbandry Extramural Studies (EMS), which are to be completed during non-teaching times in BVM Years 1 and 2.

In BVM Years 3 and 4, which includes the para-clinical and clinical curriculum, students undertake General Pathology (3 CU), Clinical Pharmacology/Toxicology (3 CU), two Veterinary Practice and Professional Studies courses (3 CUs each) and four 18 CU Foundation Courses (Animal Body, Function and Dysfunction, Host Agent and Defence, Animal Health and Disease: Part I), the first three of which are delivered using problem-based learning (PBL).

In BVM Years 5 and 6, students enrol in the 18 CU Animal Health and Disease: Part II. The two parts of Animal Health and Disease are taught using a combined body-system and animal species approach. Students learn using a problem-oriented approach covering disease and preventive health care of a wide range of animal species.

Students also apply evidence-based medicine skills to conduct research in a 6 CU Research Project whilst progressively developing competency in clinical skills in Veterinary Practice & Professional Studies Part 3 (3 CU) and completing the remaining core theme courses (10 CU). Clinical EMS (26 weeks in total) are undertaken in non-teaching periods of Years 3 to 5 and provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in clinical education and enhance their practical clinical skills in a variety of different settings, e.g., clinical practices as well as abattoirs, laboratories, or government veterinary services.

Clinical Rotations (28 weeks in total) will commence in BVM Year 5 and will be completed in BVM Year 6. During Clinical Rotations students will apply and practise their skills in clinical examination and diagnosis, clinical medicine, clinical pathology, therapeutics, pharmacy, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, surgery, clinical pathology, pathology, preventative veterinary medicine and health monitoring, and veterinary certification under the supervision of qualified veterinarians.

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 BVM curriculum uses problem-based learning to deliver key para-clinical courses, including Animal Body, Function and Dysfunction, and Host, Agent and Defence. In these courses, students develop problem-solving skills and embrace an evidence-based veterinary medicine approach that is invaluable for a diverse array of careers in veterinary medicine, from general to specialist practice and research.

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

Students are required to undertake courses without intermission to fulfil the BVM degree requirements within the normal study period.

The requirements of international accreditation standards and the commitment to cover the four themes (Emerging Infectious Diseases, Food Safety, Animal Welfare, Aquatic Animal Health) mean that all students are expected to follow the same course of study below (click on a course code for more information about individual courses):

Please click HERE for the complete six-year curriculum structure (click on a course code for more information about individual courses).

Or HERE for more information about the BVM programme in general (including Intended Learning Outcomes).