In a further vote of confidence for South East Technological University (SETU) and the region, Ireland’s newest university makes a significant move forward towards providing pharmacy and veterinary medicine courses as the new University continues to expand and deepen its programme portfolio.
In 2022, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) established a process to identify opportunities in the higher education system to build capacity in dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing, and veterinary medicine.
SETU’s proposals to create new programmes in pharmacy and veterinary medicine and expand capacity on its existing nursing courses were included in the capacity building options announced by the Government today. The Government agreed to advance the proposals with investment to be considered in Budget 2024 and the National Development Plan review.
SETU President Prof Veronica Campbell warmly welcomed the news saying that this is a real vote of confidence in our newly established university and in our ambitions for the future.
“Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy are prestigious courses in high demand and will attract some of the brightest and best students from the south east, from across the country and from around the world. “A large team from across SETU were involved in making these applications, but I would particularly like to single out Prof Peter McLoughlin, Dr David Dowling and Eleanor Kent for their foresight in building knowledge and capacity through the years, putting SETU in a position to be successful in a highly competitive process. Prof Veronica Campbell
The veterinary medicine application builds on SETU’s strengths in science and land sciences together with a 50- year history of collaborative provision with Teagasc, Kildalton Agricultural College. The pharmacy submission is supported by SETU’s extensive record of teaching and research in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical science.
Both applications for the new programmes were supported by numerous industry stakeholders in the region spanning the agri/food, and equine industries, pharma/biopharma industries, veterinary and pharmacy practitioners, farming organisations, consultancy agencies and regional and national representatives.
Prof Campbell continues, “One of the important next stages is to link in with the appropriate regulatory authorities and we very much look forward to working with both the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and the Veterinary Council of Ireland.”
Prof Campbell went on to thank the Government and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for the leadership in establishing a process to build capacity in areas of high skill needs in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine.
As the first university serving the people of the south east of Ireland, SETU is a vibrant, young, and connected university that aims to become a leading European technological university with a global impact. SETU will transform lives, and drive growth through excellence in innovation, research, learning, and collaboration. SETU is a regional university, with campuses in Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, and Kilkenny. The university will play a pivotal role in regional development, inward investment, and research opportunities to the south east.
SETU is an inclusive university and provides opportunity for students across a wide spectrum of courses, from full and part-time undergraduate courses to masters, PhD, and postdoctoral awards. Today, SETU serves over 18,000 students and employs over 1,500 staff with ambitions to grow our student population to 25,000 with almost 2,000 staff in the next 10 years.