Veterinary Medicine

Year 1

Semester 1	Semester 2
Science of Veterinary Structural and Endocrine Systems	Science of Veterinary Alimentary Systems
Animal Behaviour, Welfare and Husbandry	Science of Veterinary Cardiorespiratory Systems
Veterinary Professional Skills	Animal Husbandry and Nurition
	Veterinary Ethics and Teamwork

Year 2

Semester 3	Semester 4
Science of Veterinary Renal Systems	Science of Veterinary Nervous Systems
Science of Veterinary Reproduction	Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine and Clinical Skills
Veterinary Research and Clinical Skills	Veterinary Business
Science of Veterinary Disease - Genetics, Immunology and Pharmacology	Science of Veterinary Disease - Microbiology, Parasitology and Pathology
	*Pre-Clinical Extra-Mural Studies will take place outside of normal academic time and must be completed by the end of year 2

Year 3

Semester 5	Semester 6
Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Cardiorespiratory	Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Orthopaedics
Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Gastroenterology	Veterinary Surgry & Anaesthesia
Veterinary Diagnostics & Therapeutics	Veterinary Public Health

Year 4

Semester 7	Semester 8
Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Urogental	Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Neurology
Clinical Veterinary Medicine - Endocrinology and Dermatology	Veterinary Critical Care, Emergency Care and Toxicology
Herd Health and Population Medicine	Preparing for the Veterinary Profession

Year 5

Semester 9	Semester 10
Essential Veterinary Skills	Small Animal Clinical Studies
Veterinary Elective Rotations	Farm Animal Clinical Studies
Veterinary Final Year Portfolio	Equine Clinical Studies
	Veterinary Pathology and Public Health
	All year 5 teaching consist of clincial rotations within partner practices in SETU's Distrubted Clinical Network.
	*Clinical Extra-Mural Studies will take place outside of normal academic time and must be completed by the end of year 5.

Minimum entry requirements for MVB in Veterinary Medicine

Applications will be accepted via the CAO only. Students must meet the following minimum entry requirements;

1. Leaving Certificate requirements

Biology or Chemistry: H4 (equivalent to at least a Grade C at A-Level)
1 other subject: H5
4 subjects: O6/H7
English or Irish: O6/H7
Mathematics: O6/H7

2. Work Experience Requirement

Students will be required to complete a total of 60 hours of relevant veterinary or animal handling work experience. Specifically, 30 hours should focus on farm animal/equine experience and 30 hours should focus on small animal experience. 

This work experience must be completed within THREE YEARS of applying to the veterinary medicine programme. 

A portfolio (time log and references) based on this experience will also be required. Please print the work experience log reference template and complete by hand.

Students should post their work experience log to the CAO before the 1st July - CAO, Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway, H91 X25V, Ireland. 

Please include your CAO application number when sending documents to the CAO.

Veterinary Experience Log Reference Template

Eligible premises include:

• Farm: dairy, beef, poultry, pigs, stud, sheep or other farm animal enterprise. Not tillage

• Riding schools

• Animal sanctuaries/charities

• Zoo

• Veterinary diagnostic laboratories

• Or similar veterinary/animal related premises

Important notes: 

Looking after your own pets and working with animals on own premises does not meet this requirement.

If you have completed work experience in a mixed premises, or veterinary diagnostic lab or any premises caters to both small animal and farm animal/equine, then 50% of the hours completed at this premises would satisfy the farm animal/equine requirements and 50% the small animal requirement.

3. Occupational Health:   

As part of the registration process for the MVB programme (i.e once accepted onto the SETU Veterinary Medicine Programme), each student will be asked to complete a medical declaration and take part in a medical screening process. These steps are to ensure readiness for animal related learning activities and placement. If the student is unable to complete the process, we will provide guidance on alternative programme options. 

MVB applicants are encouraged to declare any health, wellbeing or fitness-to-practice concerns that might affect their ability to meet professional practice requirements. With the applicant's consent, the Health & Safety Office will review this information to identify any reasonable accommodations and supports for placement. If supports cannot be provided, we will hold an open discussion and where possible, we will facilitate alternative programme options.

HEAR/DARE

SETU will allocate at least one place for eligible applicants under the HEAR scheme and one place for eligible applicants under the DARE scheme.

Graduates of Veterinary Medicine have a wide range of career opportunities in animal healthcare, research, and public health. Career paths include:

• Clinical veterinary practice – Work as a veterinary surgeon in small animal, equine, or farm animal practice, diagnosing and treating a variety of medical conditions.
• Specialist veterinary fields – Pursue further training in areas such as surgery, dermatology, cardiology, or exotic animal care.
• Animal welfare and conservation – Work with animal charities, shelters, or wildlife conservation organisations to promote animal health and well-being.
• Public health and food safety – Join government agencies or organisations involved in disease control, food safety, and veterinary public health.
• Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research – Contribute to the development of veterinary medicines, vaccines, and treatments in research and pharmaceutical industries.
• Education and academia – Teach future veterinary professionals in universities and contribute to veterinary research.
• Regulatory and policy roles – Work in national and international organisations setting animal health and welfare policies.
• Agri-food industry and livestock management – Support animal health in agriculture and livestock industries, ensuring productivity and sustainability.

Veterinary Medicine graduates are in high demand, and the skills acquired during this degree create global career prospects in both private and public sectors

Mature Applicants

There is currently no graduate entry options for this program. Graduates can apply as mature students provided they are 23 years old 1 January on the year of application. No exemptions will be given for any modules on the MVB programme due to the integrated modules which focus on clinical application.

SETU will reserve at least 15% of places on the Veterinary Medicine course for mature applicants.

Mature applications are assessed across several areas, including second-level and third-level education, relevant training such as QQI awards, and work experience. Mature applicants must also hold at least a H4 in Biology or Chemistry in the Leaving Certificate or an equivalent qualification.

All mature applicants must apply through the CAO by 1 May and submit their supporting portfolio through their CAO application by 1 July. All mature applicant offers will issue in CAO Round A at the beginning of July.

Requirements include:

1. Same minimum requirements as all applicants- At least H4 in LC Biology or Chemistry or equivalent (A-Level Grade C equivalent) and 60 hours work experience as detailed above
2. Application via CAO by 1 May
3. Portfolio submission by 1 July. Details on what to include in this portfolio are available in the CAO Mature Student Handbook

This mission reflects the Department’s dual responsibility: to its learners and to the animals, clients, communities, and systems served by its graduates and staff.

Consistent with SETU’s mission and with expectations of the veterinary profession as expressed in regulation, the Department of Veterinary Medicine is committed to:

• Delivering a competency-based veterinary curriculum that enables all graduates to demonstrably meet the VCI and EAEVE Day One Competences/ESEVT accreditation standards ensuring readiness for safe, effective, and ethical professional practice.
• Ensuring high-quality, authentic clinical education, through a robust, quality-assured distributed clinical training model that reflects contemporary first-opinion and referral veterinary practice in Ireland and the EU.
• Embedding animal welfare, professional ethics, sustainability and One Health principles across teaching, learning, assessment, and clinical experience.
• Maintaining rigorous QA, governance, and continuous improvement processes, consistent with VCI, EAEVE, RCVS and SETU requirements.
• Supporting the development of professional identity, resilience, and lifelong learning, enabling graduates to adapt to the evolving demands of the veterinary profession.
• Contributing to regional and national capacity building, addressing workforce needs, rural veterinary sustainability and applied veterinary research relevant to the southeast of Ireland.