A flexible world-leading postgraduate veterinary programme
This world-leading online education programme attracts students from all around the globe.
Massey’s Master of Veterinary Medicine programme offers practicing veterinarians a flexible, modular system of study via online learning. You may choose from a wide range of small animal, large animal, epidemiology and veterinary business courses, or put them together for a qualification.
You’ll be joining one of the few online distance education programmes for veterinarians that offers the option of completing a qualification.
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.
Your courses will advance your knowledge and skills to an in-depth level beyond that obtained in your primary veterinary degree. Courses can be completed for continuing education or put towards a Master of Veterinary Medicine or other qualification.
Massey University has an excellent reputation for veterinary teaching, with our expert lecturers coming to us from all over the world.
As well as specific knowledge in areas of interest, you will strengthen your:
On-campus workshops are held in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Attendance at these workshops is strongly recommended, but not compulsory (with the exception of the capstone contact workshops which are compulsory either in person or online). All courses require a computer and internet access.
Find out more about specific courses and our lecturers at www.massey.ac.nz/mvm.
Graduates of the Master of Veterinary Medicine programme often become the go-to people in clinical practice to discuss cases. They are confident in communicating with clients and have excellent writing skills. You will develop your critical thinking skills, which are transferrable to many situations in the veterinary profession.
When you graduate from this programme, you could go on to:
A person with a master’s degree is able to:
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
To enter the Master of Veterinary Medicine you will have been awarded or qualified for:
In order to enrol directly into the Master of Veterinary Medicine programme you must have obtained a B grade average in your veterinary degree.
See the MVM web pages for details about:
Entry is subject to final approval by the Director of the MVM.
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
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:
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
60
15
15
15
15
45
15
15
15
15
15
PGCertScTech
PGDipVSc
MVM
MVM
Entry into these programmes 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.
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, we have courses and programmes that may help.
From the Schedule to the Degree including:
A specialisation (subject) is optional and requires 90 credits in the subject
Includes a research report or professional practice project.
This is a parts-based qualification. This means there are regulations around your completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two, etc.
See ‘Courses for this programme’ below for schedules of courses.
| 118785 | Principles of Veterinary Epidemiology | 15 |
| 118786 | Applied Veterinary Epidemiology | 15 |
| 118851 | Research Report (MVM) (45 credit) | 45 |
| 118852 | Research Report (MVM) (60 credit) | 60 |
| 118853 | Advanced Profession Practice in Veterinary Science | 45 |
You may enrol in this qualification with or without a specialisation.
See the Regulations for this programme for the courses available for the ‘without specialisation’ option.
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.
The Master of Veterinary Medicine may be awarded with or without a subject.
You may complete a subject by passing at least 90 credits in a subject. See the regulations for details of subject requirements. Approved subjects are:
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.
The duration of most courses is 24 teaching weeks over two semesters (seven to eight months total):
Exceptions are the epidemiology courses, 118.785 and 118.786, which are single semester (either February–June or July–November).
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.
Most courses in the Master of Veterinary Medicine (MVM) programme are offered once every second year.
These courses are offered every year:
There are three ways to complete the final 45 or 60-credit research reports (118.851,118.852, 118.853), which are called capstone courses. Two of these are research reports (45 and 60 credits) (118.851, 118.852). The third capstone option for the MVM is a 45-credit practicum course (118.853). You will spend three months full-time under supervision with an expert in any discipline of veterinary science.
All courses in the Master of Veterinary Medicine programme 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 118.851, 118.852 and 118.853).
There are maximum time limits to complete postgraduate qualifications. If you do not complete within the maximum time, you may be required to re-apply for the programme if you wish to continue your studies.
Where your qualification is completed within the stated time limit and to a high standard, you may be able to graduate with a class of Honours, Distinction or Merit.
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.
If you already know which courses you are going to take, you can use our fees calculator to get an estimate of your fees.
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 will find their National Student Number on their student homepage.
“
I was amazed by the knowledge of the lecturers at Massey and the high quality of teaching provided within the programme.
” Alexandr Mastakov
Avian and exotic animal residency at the University of Queensland
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The main thing I got out of the MVM was confidence! This has helped me realise how much I have to offer in relation to experience, knowledge and teaching our new graduates in practice.
” Nicky Hooper
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The MVM team is highly supportive, friendly and professional and are eager to help you succeed at every stage.
” Raewyn Taylor
A University of Queensland graduate, Craig has spent time internationally in practice, research and with the small animal faculty at Oregon State University. His research interests lie in minimally invasive testing for gastrointestinal and pancreatic diseases, vitamin and mineral deficiency states in these diseases, and the role of the neuroendocrine system of the GI tract in gastrointestinal disease.
Craig Ruaux
Lecturer, MVM
Massey University’s veterinary programme is ranked in the top 50 universities worldwide by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
Massey University is ranked no.1 in New Zealand for veterinary science by the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions.
Review this important information before you apply for this programme. This gives you full details of the rules and regulations about what you need to study and what you must achieve in order to graduate with this qualification. That includes structure, courses and requirements. These regulations should be read in conjunction with all other Statutes and Regulations of the University including the below.
General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates.
If you are ready to apply, have a look at our application checklist. It will help you get prepared with what you need. Please also check the entry requirements carefully before you apply.
You will apply for the programme using the Apply now button on this page. You’ll also choose your specialisation (major, subject or endorsement) if applicable.
Some programmes have additional requirements such as the submission of a portfolio or CV. Click on Apply now and you will be able to submit those documents as part of the application process.
You will receive an Admission Offer of Place when you have been accepted into the programme. You need to accept this before you can enrol in your courses. International students also need to pay their fees at this point.
You’ll then get access to your own student homepage (also known as the student portal). This is where you can enrol in courses. Any updates on your application or enrolments will also be on your student homepage. Make sure you check this regularly.
When you choose courses, ensure you check for any requirements that apply including:
Each of our courses has its own webpage where you can find this information. You can use our course search to find course pages.
More information on courses is in the ‘Courses for this programme’ section on this page.
You can find information on application due dates and semester dates on the key dates page.
We look forward to welcoming you to Massey!
If you have any questions, contact us through the Enquire button on this page.
Each Massey programme is made up of courses (in some tertiary institutions they are called ‘papers’).
You will have some compulsory courses and some you can choose from.
Each course is worth a certain amount of credits (often 15 credits, but this does vary). You must gain a set number of credits to be able to graduate from this programme.
There may also be some rules about which courses you need to pass to progress to the next year, or stage, of your study (known as progression). There are also courses you must pass to graduate with a specialisation.
The first three digits of our course numbers show you which subject the course is about.
The second three digits show you the level and course ID number. For instance:
| 1 | 6 | 2 | . | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| Subject area | Level | Course ID number | |||||
Use this tool to help determine how much time you will need each week to complete your studies.
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 programme or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these programmes go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Enquire button on this page if you have any questions.
There are a number of scholarships available for new and current students. They could relate to your situation, achievement or interest.