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International students
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Specialise in Companion Animal for your Master of Veterinary Medicine at Massey
Massey’s Master of Veterinary Medicine qualification offers practising veterinarians a flexible, modular system of study via online learning. You’ll be joining one of the few online distance education qualifications for veterinarians that offers the option of completing a qualification.
If you choose to complete a Master of Veterinary Medicine (Companion Animal) you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of courses. They include cardiorespiratory medicine, gastroenterology, oncology, diagnostic imaging and clinical pathology. Massey University has a huge range of expertise in this area.
This qualification is not designed to retrain veterinarians wanting to return to practice. The courses assume a base level of knowledge of learnings in the veterinary degree, and aim to extend veterinarians to a higher level of knowledge and skill. All courses have some assessments that require reporting of clinical material you may have managed.
Find out more about specific courses and our lecturers at www.massey.ac.nz/mvm.
A Master of Veterinary Medicine in Companion Animal is a good fit if you:
- are already a qualified veterinarian
- would like the flexibility of studying via distance online learning
- would like to increase your in-depth knowledge of companion animal medicine
Planning information
The MVM degree is 120 credits in total, made up of four or five 15-credit taught courses and 45 or 60 credits of research or professional practice. If you study full-time, you’ll take 120 credits per year or 60 credits per semester.
You may complete the Companion Animal subject by passing at least 90 credits in the subject.
Qualifications
The Master of Veterinary Medicine (MVM) is the highest-level qualification. Other qualifications you can study towards include the Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Science (PGDipVSc) (120 credits) and the Postgraduate Certificate of Science and Technology (PGCertScTech) (60 credits). The master’s degree and the PGDipVSc allow a subject endorsement showing the emphasis of your study.
Duration of courses
The duration of most courses is 24 teaching weeks over two semesters (seven to eight months total):
- Semesters One and Two (late February to early November), or
- Semester Two and summer school (mid-July to mid-February).
Exceptions are the epidemiology courses, 118785 and 118786, which are single semester (either February–June or July–November).
Time commitment
Each course offered over two semesters involves about five to six hours of work per week – one-eighth of a full-time workload. You need to allow about 150 hours for each 15-credit course.
When are courses offered?
Most courses in the Master of Veterinary Medicine (MVM) are offered once every second year.
These courses are offered every year:
- the capstone courses (118851, 118852, 118853)
- 118761 Canine and Feline Emergency Medicine
- 118785 Introduction to Evidence Based Practice.
Research reports
There are three ways to complete the final 45 or 60-credit research reports (118851,118852, 118853), which are called capstone courses. Two of these are research reports (45 and 60 credits) (118851, 118852). The third capstone option for the MVM is a 45-credit practicum course (118853). You will spend three months full-time under supervision with an expert in any discipline of veterinary science.
Location
All courses in the Master of Veterinary Medicine are delivered by distance learning. Contact workshops are held in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Attendance at these is strongly recommended but not compulsory (except for capstone courses 118851, 118852 and 118853).
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Courses you can enrol in
Course planning key
- Prerequisites
- Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
- Corequisites
- Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
- Restrictions
- Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Selection from
Course code: 118751 Canine and Feline Gastroenterology 15 credits
The principles of gastroenterology of dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of diseases of the alimentary system.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118752 Canine and Feline Endocrinology 15 credits
The principles of endocrinology of dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of diseases of the endocrine glands.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118753 Canine and Feline Oncology 15 credits
The principles of oncology of dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of neoplastic disease.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118754 Diagnostic Imaging for Small Animal Veterinarians 15 credits
The principles of diagnostic imaging in small animal practice for veterinary graduates. Principles of radiography and other imaging modalities. Radiologic interpretation of all body systems, primarily of dogs and cats, and integration with case management.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118755 Clinical Pathology in Small Animal Practice 15 credits
The principles of clinical pathology in dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. It includes the indications, application and interpretation of haematological, biochemical, urine, cytological and special testing of dogs and cats.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118756 Canine and Feline Neurology 15 credits
The principles of neurology in dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of diseases of the nervous system.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118757 Cardiorespiratory Medicine for Small Animal Veterinarians 15 credits
The principles and practice of cardiorespiratory medicine in dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of cardiac and respiratory disease.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118758 Avian Medicine 15 credits
The principles and practice of avian medicine in companion birds and aviary collections, for veterinarians. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of diseases of birds.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118759 Ophthalmology in Small Animal Practice 15 credits
The principles of ophthalmology in dogs and cats for veterinary graduates. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of diseases of the eye.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118761 Canine and Feline Emergency Medicine 15 credits
The principles and practice of emergency medicine in dogs and cats for veterinarians. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of conditions seen in emergency practice.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118762 Dermatology for Small Animal Veterinarians 15 credits
The principles of dermatology in dogs and cats for veterinarians. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of skin diseases.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118763 Canine and Feline Orthopedic Surgery 15 credits
The principles and practice of orthopaedic surgery in dogs and cats for veterinarians. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of orthopaedic diseases.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118764 Canine and Feline Soft Tissue Surgery 15 credits
The principles and practice of soft tissue surgery in dogs and cats for veterinarians. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of soft tissue diseases.
View full course detailsCourse code: 118777 Veterinary Clinical Reproduction and Fertility 15 credits
An advanced course on clinical reproduction for veterinarians. Comparative veterinary reproductive anatomy, physiology, and technology across a range of species. In-depth study of reproductive management in a nominated elective species. Use of scientific literature to inform decision making on reproductive issues.
View full course detailsEntry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
To enter the Master of Veterinary Medicine you will have been awarded or qualified for:
- a Massey University Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc), or
- have a veterinary qualification that can be registered by the New Zealand Veterinary Council or is considered by the Academic Board to be equivalent to the Massey University BVSc.
In order to enrol directly into the Master of Veterinary Medicine you must have obtained a B grade average in your veterinary degree.
Entry is subject to final approval by the Director of the MVM.
English language requirements
To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Can't meet the entry requirements?
If you are not eligible to enrol directly into the Master of Veterinary Medicine, you may still be able to gain entry. An option is to complete at least two Master of Veterinary Medicine courses within another Massey qualification. You must also achieve a B grade in those courses.
Suitable qualifications are the:
- Certificate of Proficiency
- Postgraduate Certificate in Science and Technology (PGCertScTech), or
- Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Science (PGDipVSc).
Entry into these qualifications is dependant on you meeting those qualifications’ entry requirements.
If you complete the MVM courses successfully, you may able to transfer your enrolment to the Master of Veterinary Medicine.
For more information, see the MVM entry requirements page.
Fees and scholarships
Fees, student loans and free fees scheme
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student portal
Scholarship and award opportunities
Search our scholarships and awardsFees disclaimer
This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.
Accreditations and rankings
QS Ranking - Veterinary Science
The Massey is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as 21st in the world for veterinary science.
ShanghaiRanking - veterinary science
Massey ranks 42nd in the world for veterinary science — and in the top 4 in Australasia — in ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
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Useful planning information
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions. Learn more on careers.govt.nz