The Animal Health and Disease major will provide a springboard for students wishing to pursue careers or research in the animal health and production industries, as well as for students wishing to progress to the graduate entry professional veterinary program (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DVM) at the University of Melbourne. Graduates of this major will develop understandings of the determinants of health in populations of domestic animals and in particular the impact of welfare, housing, nutrition and infectious agents on domestic animal health. This major will integrate knowledge from a range of disciplines including veterinary anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, microbiology and pathology as they apply to the health of domestic animals.

Students undertaking the Veterinary Bioscience (pre DVM) specialisation will develop skills in clinical investigation and problem solving, through an integrated systems-based approach to organ structure and function that will be the foundation for their studies in the graduate professional entry DVM program. Students undertaking the Animal Disease Biotechnology specialisation will develop an understanding of the role of animal health in maintaining the health of human populations, at the same time developing skills in laboratory techniques important in the diagnosis and surveillance of disease in domestic animal populations. Students will gain experience that prepares them for the workplace by participating in laboratory activities and also possibly by industry placements.

This major is the first step towards a career as a veterinarian (after completing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine).

It can also lead to a rewarding career in veterinary or animal research, animal welfare, animal agriculture, and the increasingly important areas of disease surveillance and biosecurity.