Ten reasons to study Veterinary Medicine

1. Look after animals

If you love animals, then Veterinary Medicine will equip you with the tools to make their lives better. Whether you’re helping to end the suffering of a local pet or researching disease prevention, you could be playing a big part in improving animal welfare.

2. Exciting tasks

It may be challenging, but life as a vet is likely to be fast-paced, varied and interesting. Every day you could be working with different animals, researching new areas or helping out on large-scale projects in unique environments.

3. Learn in expert facilities

Most veterinary schools are full of cutting-edge equipment that’s used for teaching and research. Facilities that will aid your learning might include farms, clinical labs, dissection suites, kennels and stables.

4. Great graduate prospects

Experts in this vocational area are always in demand; this is reflected in the subject having some of the best graduate prospects around. In our Veterinary Medicine subject table, you’ll see that almost every university has a graduate prospects score above 90%. This means you’ll have a very high chance of securing professional employment within six months of graduating.

5. High student satisfaction

Another measure on our Veterinary Medicine subject table is student satisfaction. Take a look at the column, and you’ll see all universities score very highly – meaning you can expect to be satisfied with the quality of teaching on your course.

6. Job opportunities

There are several different roles you could pursue with a Veterinary Medicine degree. As well as a vet in a surgery, you could go into animal welfare, education, research, veterinary technology, science writing, nature conservation or consultancy, for example.

7. Transferable skills

There’s no need to worry if, in the future, you think you’d prefer a career that’s not directly related to Veterinary Medicine. On top of the specific skills you'll learn, you'll develop transferable professional skills such as communication, organisation and time management. These will prove useful to many employers across a variety of industries.

8. High starting salaries

Veterinary Medicine has one of the highest starting salaries possible, with a highly-skilled graduate earning upwards of £30,000. It's a big commitment and one you should take seriously, but the hard work you put in will pay off.

9. Clinical practice

Veterinary Medicine courses tend to be highly practical, giving you the experience and skills required to enter directly into the workforce. They usually include clinical practice modules where you work alongside professionals.

You'll also take part in industry placements where you put your knowledge into practice in real-life situations. The experience enhances your employability prospects and helps you to start building your professional network.

10. Overseas opportunities

Study abroad years are sometimes offered to Veterinary Medicine students, where you get the chance to learn overseas at a veterinary hospital or school. From Malta to Nicaragua, there are exciting possibilities in far off places.