51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Veterinary Epidemiology

What is the MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology?

In a world where global transport links allow rapid movement of people and animals, disease can spread more quickly than before and is harder to control than ever. In such a world there is a growing need for trained epidemiologists at the front line of disease surveillance.

The UK leads the way in providing this training and, in order to meet the demand for skilled professionals, the RVC has developed a unique postgraduate veterinary epidemiology course, delivered jointly with the (LSHTM).

This demanding masters in veterinary epidemiology programme is led by veterinary epidemiologists and supported by policy makers from the forefront of UK government and you will gain a fascinating insight into the work of the (Defra) and the  (APHA, formerly AHVLA). Your areas of study will combine LSHTM’s strengths in epidemiological principles and communicable disease epidemiology, with the RVC’s expertise in veterinary epidemiology, animal health and production.

Why study at the RVC?

Founded in 1791, the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, University of London, is a long-established institution with a global reputation for veterinary and biological sciences. Our mission is to provide visionary leadership and excellence in veterinary science through innovative scholarship and pioneering clinical activity. We are the only veterinary school in the world to be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council. 

The LSHTM 

The LSHTM is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public health and global health, and was recently named the world’s leading research-focused graduate school (Thomson Reuters / Times Higher Education, 2013). It has been cited as one of the world’s top universities for collaborative research.

The LSHTM's mission is to improve public health and health equity in the UK and worldwide, working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

What will I learn?

Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate and understand the key concepts underpinning the discipline of veterinary and medical epidemiology
  • Select an appropriate study design when confronted with an epidemiological research question and develop a detailed study protocol capable of answering the research question
  • Analyse and interpret epidemiological data derived from cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies
  • Review critically the published epidemiological literature
  • Apply epidemiological principles to surveillance, and infection and disease control, within animal and human populations
  • Communicate effectively with researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds
  • Communicate effectively with other people with an interest in human and animal health, including the general public and key policy makers.

Programme delivery

The MSc may be completed full-time in one year or part time over two years, and consists of nine taught modules and a research project. The course starts in September each year and you will split your time between the RVC and LSHTM. Students then undertake a four-month research project on a topic of their choice.

Part-time students attend the course full-time from September to December in year one, followed by classes two to three days a week from January to May. You will usually study the remainder of the course in year two, including the summer research project (MSc students only). We recognise the need for flexibility, however, and are happy to tailor your part-time study to meet your specific requirements (subject to agreement with the course director).

The teaching is delivered using the excellent facilities of the LSHTM in London as well as at the RVC’s London and Hertfordshire campuses. The course also includes a visit to the APHA (Weybridge).

The field of Veterinary Epidemiology straddles several different areas. Therefore, although you will be based at the RVC, aspects of basic epidemiology applicable to both human and animal diseases are taught at the LSHTM, and risk analysis and surveillance are taught by APHA staff.

Term 1

There is a two-week orientation period that includes an introduction to studying at the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, followed by four compulsory modules: 

  • Extended Epidemiology (LSHTM)
  • Principles of Epidemiology and Surveillance (RVC)
  • Research Skills and Epidemiological Aspects of Laboratory Investigations (RVC)
  • Statistics for Epidemiology & Public Health (LSHTM)

Terms 2 and 3

All students take four compulsory modules:

  • Applied Veterinary Epidemiology (RVC)
  • Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (LSHTM)
  • Modelling and Dynamics of Infectious Diseases (LSHTM)
  • Statistical Methods in Epidemiology (LSHTM)

In addition, students choose a fifth module from the following:

  • Economics of One Health (RVC)
  • Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology (RVC)

Research project

Students on this course complete taught modules and assessments by June, after which the veterinary epidemiology MSc students will work on a research project from June to August, culminating in an oral examination in September.

Please see an example of a previous student project by Mattio Begovoeva: which was presented at the SVEPM Conference and published in Preventative Veterinary Medicine:  

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Veterinary Nursing at the RVC

Find out more about what veterinary nursing at the RVC can offer you, your career and your team. Veterinary Nursing at the RVC
   
   

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Academic requirements

If you are working in the state veterinary service and/or are interested in veterinary epidemiology, then our Masters programme will be highly relevant to you.

You must have (or expect to receive) a first- or second-class university honours degree (or equivalent). Please contact Admissions if you are unsure whether your degree is equivalent. As this is a multidisciplinary subject, we welcome candidates from many different backgrounds. If you have a degree in veterinary science, biological science, veterinary or human medicine, mathematics or statistics, or have relevant postgraduate experience, then we encourage you to apply.

English language requirements

A good working knowledge of scientific English is essential in order to follow the course. All applicants must have an acceptable English Language qualification:

  • IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 or above with minimum 6.5 in each component

For those without IELTS, please see our  for a full list of qualifications we will accept as alternatives.

Maths requirements

The course has highly quantitative components and, although there are opportunities to brush up on basic computer and mathematics knowledge at the start of the course, you will be expected to have basic numerical skills.

Please do have a look at the sites below to help you decide whether this course is for you.

Click for a package of materials developed by LSHTM staff to help you refresh your basic maths skills prior to progressing with your application. The materials include an online interactive self-assessment exercise (in which you are provided with immediate feedback and solutions), PowerPoint slides and a Word document of notes, exercises and solutions.

You may also find the links below of use:

 - UK-based site with video tutorials on more than 80 topics, including diagnostics, summary text and exercises (with those on arithmetic and algebra of most relevance for the majority of LSHTM MSc students)
 - a good source to find online links to a number of topics
 
 - includes a useful statistics section under The Basics
 - useful for indices, percentages, approximations, graphs, representing data, probability & calculators
 - useful for basic algebra and number (rounding & fractions)
 - useful for formulae and rounding off.

What will I be able to do with my qualification?

Demand for trained veterinary epidemiologists currently outstrips supply, and there are excellent opportunities in a variety of organisations involved in disease control at national, regional and international level, as well as in teaching, research and various food-related industries.

RVC graduates hold senior positions within government departments in many different countries. Many go on to work alongside the people who have taught them during the previous year. Within the UK, graduates are employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA, formerly AHVLA), as well as in research centres and pharmaceutical companies.

Alumni Inspiration

Luisa Dorma, MSc Veterinary Epidemiology graduate, 2014

[I am] enjoying working at APHA. I have realised just how much I learnt during the MSc [Vet Epi] now that I am putting it into practice!

What are you doing now? I am currently working as an epidemiologist at the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The main purpose of my job is to provide support for epidemiological surveillance and research projects undertaken by the Department of Epidemiological Sciences, through data management and descriptive statistical analysis as well as contributing to the management and implementation of these studies. The work I do is very varied and involves working on a range of species, diseases and farming systems.
What aspect of the PGT course prepared you best for your career? The course content has been really relevant to my career and I have developed a range of skills and a good understanding of epidemiological principles. I have found that as a result of the course, my thought processes are more in-depth and methodical and I am able to find novel solutions to complex challenges
What did you think of the teaching staff on the course? The teaching staff were all very open, honest and friendly. They prepared us for how tough the course was going to be and were there ready to provide help and support as needed. Many of the staff are experts in their field and having the opportunity to listen to their experiences was really useful.
What did you think of the learning and research facilities at the RVC? The facilities at the RVC are great, with access to everything that you need. The collaboration with the LSHTM is very useful and provides increased access to world-class facilities.
Has the PGT course at the RVC enabled your career goals as you had hoped? The MSc has provided me with all of the skills required to be a successful epidemiologist and also given me a lot of confidence in my own abilities. My experiences from talking to potential employers have only been positive, with most recognising the value of the course and the skill set that graduates have. Prior to starting the course I hoped to one day be working as an epidemiologist for the APHA, whom I began to work for 3 days after completing it!

Anna Borlase, MSc Veterinary Epidemiology graduate, 2016

2015/16 MSc Vet Epi graduate, Anna Borlase, is doing a PhD with the RVC and LSHTM on a Bloomsbury studentship. 

I’m doing a PhD...on modelling transmission dynamics of zoonotic schistosomiasis in Senegal. Just got back from first field work in Senegal last week, and it was definitely an experience!

The MSc and especially the modelling module at LSHTM are going to prove absolutely crucial for me. Without the training last year I a) would never have been offered the PhD(!), and b) wouldn’t have a clue where to start!'

Further afield, graduates from this programme work for the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Livestock Research Centre in Nairobi. Others hold positions in government departments in New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Spain, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Croatia, Slovenia, Ireland, Switzerland, Pakistan, Iceland, Norway and France.

Former students have also enrolled on PhDs at leading universities worldwide, including Bristol, UK, the RVC Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health (VEEPH) Group, Cornell University, USA, and Massey University, New Zealand.

Key academic staff - RVC

  • Dr Kim Stevens
    Associate Professor in Spatial Epidemiology,
    Course Director for MSc Veterinary Epidemiology
  •  
    Associate Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology

Key academic staff - LSHTM

  • Assistant Professor Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health,
    Programme Director for MSc Veterinary Epidemiology

  • Associate Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics

  • Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health

  • Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics

  • ssociate Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics

  • Clinical Associate Professor, Clinical Research

  • Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics
  • Professor of Epidemiology Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology
  • Assistant Professor, Epidemiology Health Services Research & Policy

  • Associate Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health

  • Research Fellow, Health Services Research & Policy
  • Assistant Professor, Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology
  • Associate Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health
  • Associate Professor, Medical Statistics
  • Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health

  • Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health
  • Assistant Professor, Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology
  • Associate Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics
  • Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for students commencing the course in 2024/25 are as follows:

51³Ô¹ÏÍø Tuition Fees including Island Fees (Channel Islands & Isle of Man)

International Fees
£13,310

£30,830

 

For part-time fees please see this link /study/fees-and-funding/fees#panel-tuition-fees-for-postgraduate-taught-and-research-students 

Tuition fee amounts are subject to increase each academic year, please be aware of this when making your calculations and planning how much money you will require.

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