Australia - University of Sydney Faculty of Veterinary Science
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The Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney opened its doors on 22 March 1910. Since then, we have developed outstanding research and clinical facilities, and strong reciprocal links with academic peers around the world.
We are recognised internationally as a leading provider of education and a key contributor to the world's best practice in the care and welfare of animals.
Our vision is to be a world leader in veterinary education, animal science and research that advances the health and welfare of animals, and benefits the community.
Our strong global connections ensure that about 20 per cent of our veterinary student intake each year is made up of international students.
The Faculty of Veterinary Science operates on two campuses. We are based in the heart of Sydney at Camperdown, with our own rural facilities in the Camden region on the south-western outskirts of the city.
Location
The Sydney campus is located approximately 3.5 kilometres from the Sydney central business district, on Parramatta Road in the inner suburb of Camperdown.
The Camden campus is located on Werombi Road at Camden, approximately 70 kilometres to the south-west of Sydney via the M5.
Our Values
A world leader in veterinary education, animal science and research that advances the health and welfare of animals and benefits the community.
- Student life-long learning, supported by inspirational teaching
- Research excellence in creating new knowledge
- Service to the profession and the community, as we value and develop our key relationships
- A culture built on academic excellence, integrity, respect and encouragement
- Animal well-being to guide our work
About Us
Prior to 1910, the fledgling nation of Australia relied on English and Scottish
veterinary schools for training of its veterinary professionals, and on imported technical
expertise to support its rapidly developing animal industries.
James Douglas Stewart, an Australian who graduated from the Royal Dick Veterinary School,
lobbied the New South Wales Government to establish a veterinary school at the University of
Sydney, Australia’s oldest University. He became the veterinary school’s founding professor
and once it was honoured full status as a Faculty of Veterinary Science in 1920, Professor
Stewart became the inaugural Dean and remained in this prestigious position until his
retirement in 1939.
The Faculty of Veterinary Science opened its doors on the 22nd March, 1910. Sixteen
students enrolled in this premier Australian university course in veterinary science. These
students learned from skilled practitioners and world class academics, with access to the
know-how of a nation, which was already an emerging power in animal health and production. The early development of the School was delayed when many graduates and undergraduates volunteered for active service in the First World War.
In 1928 there were 25 enrolled students, a number that grew to over one hundred in 1935. In 2005 The Faculty was granted international accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), becoming one of six accredited veterinary
schools outside the USA and Canada. By 2010 there were over 750 students enrolled in the two degrees offered by the Faculty of Veterinary Science.
Education
In 2014, the Faculty of Veterinary Science will introduce a new and exciting six year combined degree program, the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (BVetBiol/DVM). This will replace the Bachelor of Veterinary Science as the Faculty’s professional veterinary training programme. The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), which is a four year graduate entry program, will be offered from 2015. We will continue to offer the Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience for students who would like to pursue a non-veterinary career working with animals.
The Faculty of Veterinary Science has a strong commitment to provide students with a high quality learning environment. This ensures the very best start to a fulfilling, diverse and successful veterinary career.
The Faculty aligns its key learning objectives with the University's Learning and Teaching Plan and adopts its principles to:
- promote research-enhanced learning and teaching
- foster lifelong learning
- offer a complete student experience
- promote student-centred learning and teaching
- offer an exciting and stimulating environment for learning and teaching
- recognise and celebrate diversity
- Strive to continuously improve and enhance the quality of learning and teaching.
Centre for Veterinary Education
The Centre for Veterinary Education (CVE), within the Faculty of Veterinary Science, is a long-established leader in continuing veterinary education. For over 40 years the CVE has provided a high standard of professional development to veterinarians, vet nurses, technicians, carers, support staff and all those involved in the care of animals.
The CVE has developed a variety of innovative educational packages, including Distance Education courses, conference events and courses, as well as a large collection of publications via the CVe-library and the VetBookshop.
Current Research
The faculty has a proud history of research in veterinary and animal science. In the first half of the 20th century we established the cornerstones of our research effort – animal health, animal husbandry, nutrition, anatomy and genetics. Today, we lead international, multidisciplinary programs in farm animal health, biosecurity, poultry and dairy science, animal genomics, advanced reproduction, animal welfare science, ecosystems health, tissue repair, veterinary education, companion animal disease and clinical service, to name a few areas of expertise.
Presently, approximately 70 per cent of our research income is directed towards the health and performance of production animals. Wildlife research has become an area of intense interest and activity with a fantastic diversity of species now being studied. We also have a strong core of biomedical research and this has been reflected in the way that our research student graduates have been valued by leading medical research institutes, both in Australia and overseas. Our campuses at Camperdown, placed adjacent to the Centre for Obesity Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (CODCD) development, and Camden, within the emerging bioscience precinct, provide the infrastructure required to study a diverse range of species in a laboratory, farm and clinical context.
The Centenary year of the Faculty in 2010 was suitably marked by a number of occasions, including a Research Showcase, which was a successful display of the diversity and depth of our research capabilities. It seems fitting that the major developments in research on our doorstep should be happening at a time when we look to the future for the next century of research.
Clinical Services
The Faculty maintains teaching hospitals at Sydney and Camden, where students work with veterinarians to offer an exceptionally high level of care in a practical learning and teaching environment.
The Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital is acclaimed internationally for its exceptional health, care and welfare of companion animals. It is a general practice veterinary clinic, a referral centre for other veterinarians to send complex cases and a teaching hospital for veterinary science students to learn the practical components of the veterinary profession.
The Hospital has recently undergone substantial redevelopment including the purchase of more than $6 million of imaging and diagnostic equipment making it an international state-of-the-art facility.
The advanced range of specialist services include:
- 24 hour emergency services and intensive care
- canine and feline medicine & surgery
- advance imaging, 16 slice CT, MRI, digital radiography & ultrasound
- specialist referral services, medicine, surgery and diagnostic imaging
- neurology, ophthalmology & dermatology
- physiotherapy.
Situated approximately 70 kilometres from central Sydney, University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Camden is acclaimed internationally for its care for the health and welfare of both small and large animals.
It is a general practice veterinary clinic, a referral centre where other veterinarians send complex cases, and a teaching hospital whose graduates are dedicated to the compassionate and skilled care of companion and production animals. Services are provided for horses, small animals, livestock, birds, reptiles, exotic pets and wildlife.
Some of the services provided by The Camden Veterinary Teaching Hospital include:
- comprehensive imaging service including: high power digital radiography, nuclear scintigraphy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography
- a full time specialist veterinary anaesthetist and a support team providing world class anaesthesia for all hospital patients
- specialist veterinary dermatology service for all species providing a wide range of diagnostic services for skin disease
- a general small animal practice providing routine services, second opinion consultations
- three registered specialists in equine surgery and two registered specialists in equine medicine, and currently the only location in NSW for comprehensive poor performance evaluation of the equine athlete including high-speed treadmill
- specialist livestock services providing farm visits, herd health and full clinical services
- separate avian, reptile, exotic pet and wildlife hospital providing a full range of specialist diagnostic and clinical services.
A full range of diagnostic pathology testing is performed on site at both hospitals by the Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services laboratories. Available tests include full haematology and biochemistry analysis and urinalysis, cytological analysis of fluids and fine needle aspirates, microbiological and parasitological testing, a hisopathology service and full post mortem examination service for all animal species. Professional and dedicated staff are available to assist clinicians in selecting tests and to discuss and help interpret results.
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